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Alan Shepard: The First American Astronaut
By Andrew Chaikin
Executive Editor, Space and Science
posted: 07:00 am ET
04 May 2001
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"This thing" was America's
first attempt to put a man in space. With the Cold War raging, the effort
held enormous importance for the United States. Just weeks earlier, the
Soviets had stunned the world by reporting that Yuri Gagarin had orbited
Earth to become the first human in space. The U.S. was behind in the space
race, and nothing mattered more for the nation's prestige than catching
up. But for Shepard himself, the stakes were far more personal. Making
this first flight was a coveted goal for the nation's seven Mercury astronauts,
and Shepard -- by virtue of his piloting skills, his technical abilities,
and his steely determination -- had been given that chance. And although
he would later confess to some nervousness as he waited for launch, he
displayed only remarkable calm. At one point, while technicians debated
over a malfunction that had halted the countdown, Shepard said over the
radio, "I'm cooler than you are. Why don't you fix your little problem
and light this candle?"
Those words, the stuff of
folklore, symbolize the courage that Alan Shepard brought to this extraordinary
test flight. In 1961 the idea of a human riding a rocket into space still
seemed like science fiction to some, and downright foolhardy to others.
After all, American rockets had a nasty habit of blowing up. And even if
the Redstone functioned perfectly, there were credible experts who forecasted
that Shepard's body might not withstand the rigors of the launch and reentry
into the atmosphere. Some psychologists claimed that when Shepard was exposed
to weightlessness he might experience a "breakoff phenomenon," a kind of
psychological dislocation from Earth. Shepard was confident that these
dire predictions would not come true; he only wanted a chance to prove
it. And if he had a reputation for self confidence that spilled over into
arrogance, Shepard also had the goods to back it up.
At 9:34 a.m. the Redstone's
engine lit, propelling Shepard skyward with 75,000 pounds of thrust. For
142 seconds Shepard endured mounting acceleration that built to more than
six times the force of normal gravity. Ten seconds later, Freedom 7 separated
and continued coasting upward, until it peaked at an altitude of more than
116 miles (187 kilometers). From that height, looking through the craft's
onboard periscope, Shepard could see the entire state of Florida and the
Bahamas, in one gulp. For five minutes he was weightless, though he was
so tightly strapped in that his only indication was a washer that floated
in front of his helmet. Later, he would describe the sensation as "painless,
just a pleasant ride."
But as Freedom 7 followed
its ballistic arc back to Earth, slamming into the atmosphere, the sensation
of gravity returned with punishing force, building to 11 Gs before slacking
off again. Shepard waited anxiously for his parachute to deploy, and when
it did -- perfectly -- he knew he was home free. Freedom 7 splashed down
in the Atlantic just 15 minutes after rising from the pad at Cape Canaveral.
America's space traveler was home, safe and sound, and Alan Shepard's name
was written into the history books.
And for the U.S. space program,
the success of his flight had enormous implications. John Kennedy saw the
enormous public outpouring of enthusiasm for Shepard's flight and realized
the time was right for a bold step into space. Three weeks later, addressing
a joint session of Congress, he challenged the nation to "land a man on
the Moon and return him safely to the Earth" by the end of the decade.
Ultimately, that commitment
pointed the way to Shepard's own future. Grounded for an inner-ear disorder
in 1963, Shepard underwent risky surgery to correct the problem in 1968.
The following year, blessed by the NASA doctors as once again fit to fly,
Shepard was assigned to command the Apollo 14 lunar landing mission. On
February 5, 1971, nearly a decade after his Mercury flight and now 47 years
old, Shepard became the fifth human to walk on the Moon. Known for his
lunar golf shot, Shepard died in 1998 after battling leukemia, at age 74.
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