Shepard, Alan B. (1923-1998)
American astronaut
One of the original seven American astronauts, Alan B. Shepard, Jr. became the first American to venture into space in a suborbital flight aboard the Mercury capsule, Freedom 7. His achievements—including his landmark Freedom 7 flight on May 5, 1961—symbolized the beginning of a technological revolution in the 1960s and marked the onset of "new frontiers" in space. A decade later, he commanded the Apollo 14 lunar mission, becoming the fifth man to step on the Moon's surface and the only one of the original astronauts to make a flight to the Moon. In addition to his space flight accomplishments, Shepard served as Chief of the Astronaut Office and participated in the overall astronaut-training program. He received the National Aeronautics Space Administration (NASA) Distinguished Service Medal from President John F. Kennedy for his Mercury flight. In 1971, appointed by President Nixon, he served as a delegate to the 26th United Nations General Assembly. He was promoted to rear admiral by the Navy in 1971, the first astronaut to achieve flag rank. In 1979, President Jimmy Carter awarded him the Medal of Honor for gallantry in the astronaut corps.
Alan Bartlett Shepard, Jr. was born in East Derry, New Hampshire, and spent most of his formative years in this New England setting.
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