Archive for May 5th, 2020

HISTORY WAS MADE ON THIS DAY IN 1961

Alan Shepard Signed Large Mercury-Redstone 3 (Freedom 7) Launch ...
Launching of the Mercury-Redstone 3 (MR-3) rocket from Cape
Canaveral on astronaut Alan B. Shepard’s Freedom 7 suborbital
mission.
 


From Cape Canaveral,
Florida, Navy Commander Alan Bartlett Shepard Jr.
is launched into space aboard the Freedom 7 space capsule, becoming the
first American astronaut to travel into space. The suborbital flight, which
lasted 15 minutes and reached a height of 116 miles into the atmosphere,
was a major triumph for NASA, the National Aeronautics and Space
Administration.

Mercury-Redstone 3 (Freedom 7) | NASA

Shepard stands behind a chair wearing a blue suit. In the background is an American flag.
Alan Bartlett Shepard Jr. (November 18, 1923 – July 21, 1998)

Mercury "Freedom 7" capsule in which Alan Shepard became the first ...

The circular patch depicts a Mercury capsule and a map of Florida, indicating the ballistic path of the capsule into the Atlantic Ocean. The words say: "Mercury 3 – Shepard – Freedom 7"

posted by Bob Karm in ANNIVERSARY,Astronaut,Aviation,Aviation record,DEBUT,HISTORY,Launch,NASA and have No Comments