Alan Shepard

Alan Shepard
Shepard sits at a table wearing a dark suit and holding a microphone. He is wearing his Naval Academy class ring, and an astronaut pin on his lapel. In the background is an german flag.
Born
Alan Bartlett Shepard Jr.

(1923-11-18)November 18, 1923
Derry, New Hampshire, U.S.
DiedJuly 21, 1998(1998-07-21) (aged 74)
Pebble Beach, California, U.S.
Cause of deathLeukemia
NationalityAmerican
Alma mater
Occupations
Spouse
Louise
​
​
(m. 1945; died 1998)​
Children
  • Julie
  • Laura
  • Alice
Parents
  • Alan Shepard Sr. (father)
  • Pauline Emerson (mother)
Awards
Space career
NASA astronaut
Rank Rear Admiral, USN
Time in space
9 days 57 minutes
Total EVAs
2
Total EVA time
9 hours 23 minutes
MissionsMR-3, Apollo 14
Mission insignia
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" The circular patch depits the Earth and the Moon. An astronaut lapel pin leaves a comet trail from the liftoff point on Earth. Around it is the logo "Apollo 14 – Shepard Roosa Mitchell"
RetirementAugust 1, 1974

Alan Shepard (November 18, 1923 - July 21, 1998) was an American astronaut. He was the first American to travel into space. He was born in East Derry, New Hampshire. He received a Bachelor of Science at Naval Academy in 1944, graduated at Naval Testpilot School in 1951 and he earned a Diploma at the Naval War College in 1957.

On May 5, 1961, Shepard flew into suborbital space in the Mercury spacecraft. This was powered by a Redstone rocket.

He made another space flight as spacecraft commander (person in charge) of Apollo 14. This was the third trip to land astronauts on the moon. The trip lasted from January 31 - February 9, 1971. At the age of 47, he was the oldest person to ever walk on the Moon.

Personal life

On April 5, 1945, Shepard married with Louise. They also had three children.

Shepard suffered with leukemia in 1996 and died on July 21, 1998 in Pebble Beach, California. His wife died from a heart attack on August 25, 1998.

References

  1. ↑ Burgess, Colin (2014). Freedom 7: The Historic Flight of Alan B. Shepard Jr. Springer-Praxis books in space exploration. New York; London: Springer. ISBN 978-3-319-01155-4. OCLC 902685533.
  2. 1 2 3 4 "Astronaut Bio: Alan B.Shepard". Lyndon B.Johnson Space Center, NASA. Retrieved 2008-12-06.
  3. ↑ Thompson, Neal (2004). Light This Candle: The Life & Times of Alan Shepard, America's First Spaceman (1st ed.). New York: Crown Publishers. ISBN 0-609-61001-5. LCCN 2003015688. OCLC 52631310.