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| AP PHOTOS |
NEWSLINE PAPER,- When astronaut Alan B. Shepard Jr. set off on a historic mission on May 5, 1961, he became the first American to go into space. His remarkable achievement marked a watershed in the nation's space exploration efforts and made way for upcoming missions beyond of Earth's atmosphere.
Shepard made his historic trip on the Mercury capsule Freedom 7, a spacecraft designed as part of NASA's Mercury program expressly to carry people into orbit. As directed by Shepard, the spacecraft entered the atmosphere and reached a height of around 116 miles (187 kilometers) above the surface of the Earth.
Shepard's brief fifteen-minute suborbital flight proved the incredible courage, tenacity, and inventiveness of humankind. This mission, however brief, is extremely important because it demonstrated America's ability to send people beyond the bounds of our world.
Shepard was remarkably composed and in control the entire time, running the ship with precision and skill. His space trip enthralled people all around the world and inspired future generations of astronauts and space aficionados.
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| Nasa Photo |
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| Nasa Photo |
In the space competition between the US and the USSR, Shepard's successful mission was a significant accomplishment that proved America could compete globally in the field of space exploration. NASA accomplished a tremendous deal with this event, and the American people were quite satisfied with their country.
Shepard's influence continued over the years, representing courage, discovery, and the unrelenting search for knowledge among the space community. His contributions to space exploration laid the groundwork for further missions to the Moon, Mars, and other heavenly bodies.
(Newsline Paper Teams)