Alan B. Shepard, Jr.                                                                                                                                                                       

 

Date of Birth

Born November 18, 1923  and raised in East Derry, New Hampshire 8, 1923, in East Derry, New Hampshire

Childhood / Family

Survived by two daughters and six grandchildren.

Education

Attended primary and secondary schools in East Derry and Derry, New Hampshire; received a Bachelor of Science degree from the United States Naval Academy in 1944, an Honorary Master of Arts degree from Dartmouth College in 1962, and Honorary Doctorate of Science from Miami University (Oxford, Ohio) in 1971, and an Honorary Doctorate of Humanities from Franklin Pierce College in 1972. Graduated Naval Test Pilot School in 1951; Naval War College, Newport, Rhode Island in 1957.

Occupation

Pilot

Military Service / Civilian

Alan B. Shepard, Jr. (Rear Admiral, USN, Ret.)

Shepard began his naval career, after graduation from Annapolis, on the destroyer COGSWELL, deployed in the pacific during World War II.

Space Training / Specialty

Spaceflight Commander

Contribution to Space Travel

Rear Admiral Shepard was one of the Mercury astronauts named by NASA in April 1959, and he holds the distinction of being the first American to journey into space.

Only astronaut to hit a golf ball on the moon.

Space Missions

RedstoneMR-7,  Apollo 14

Interesting Fact(s)

The name "Freedom Seven" was Alan Shepard's choice. "Freedom" because it was patriotic and "Seven" because it was the seventh Mercury capsule produced. It also represented the seven Mercury astronauts.

He has logged more than 8,000 hours flying time--3,700 hours in jet aircraft.

Fellow of the American Astronautical Society and the Society of Experimental Test Pilots; member of the Rotary, the Kiwanis, the Mayflower Society, the Order of the Cincinnati, and the American Fighter Aces; honorary member, Board of Directors for the Houston School for Deaf Children, Director, National Space Institute, and Director, Los Angeles Ear Research Institute.

Status

Died July 21, 1988 from Leukemia

Images

 

See Explanation. Clicking on the picture will download the highest resolution version available.

Links

http://www.jsc.nasa.gov/Bios/htmlbios/shepard-alan.html

http://www.astronautix.com/astros/shepard.htm

http://www.engology.com/engintshepard.htm

http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/apod/ap980724.html

http://www.teachspace.org/news/latimes/shepard.html

http://www.educatetheusa.com/newhampshire/Shepa.html

http://www.thespaceplace.com/history/mercury/mercury03.html

http://www.pasturegolf.com/archive/shepard.htm

http://www.time.com/time/search/article/0,8599,14136,00.html

http://www.space.com/news/spacehistory/shepard_anniversary_010504-1.html

http://www.achievement.org/autodoc/page/she0bio-1

 

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