First U.S. space flight Alan Shepard 1961

Alan B. Shepard became the first American in space when he flew on Freedom 7, launched May 5, 1961.  His flight lasted about 15 minutes, reaching an altitude of 115 miles and experiencing 5 minutes of weightlessness.  His historic flight  came less than a month after Russian Yuri Gagarin became the first human in space.

Alan B. Shepard, first American in space, born 1923

Alan Bartlett Shepard, born November 18, 1923, was the first American in space, and the fifth and oldest person to walk on the Moon!  He also hit two golf balls on the lunar surface during the Apollo 14 mission.  In 1961, he achieved sub-orbit in Freedom 7 becoming the first American in space, just weeks after Yuri Gagarin became the first person in space.

He passed away in 1998 at the age of 74.





https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alan_Shepard