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Astronaut Alan Shepard receives MASA Distinguished Service award

Astronaut Alan Shepard recieves NASA Distinguished Service Award

Astronaut Alan Shepard recieves NASA Distinguished Service Award

Astronaut Alan Shepard, NASA Mercury project

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Space Mission Excellence Award Ceremony

Astronaut Alan Shepard undergoes suiting up operations during Apollo 14

Patrick Scheuermann receives NASA Distinguished Service Medal

Astronaut Alan Shepard on U.S. Champlain after recovery of Mercury capsule

Astronaut Alan Shepard receives MASA Distinguished Service award

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Summary

S88-31388 (8 May 1961) --- Astronaut Alan B. Shepard Jr. (center), along with wife Louise, waves to a crowd outside the U.S. Capitol building. Shepard, Mercury-Redstone 3 astronaut, had earlier briefed Congress on the first U.S. manned spaceflight -- a 15-minute suborbital mission on May 5, 1961, aboard the Freedom 7 capsule. (NASA Hq. Photo No., MR3-49) Photo credit: NASA or National Aeronautics and Space Administration

The Space Race began with a shock to the American public when the Soviet satellite Sputnik was launched in 1957. United states created NASA accelerate U.S. space exploration efforts and launched the Explorer 1 satellite in 1958. The Soviet Union was first again when it puts the first human, cosmonaut Yuri Gagarin, into a single orbit on April 12, 1961. Shortly after this, on May 5, the U.S. launched Alan Shepard, on a suborbital flight and reached its orbital goal on February 20, 1962, when John Glenn made three orbits around the Earth in the Mercury capsule. The Mercury space capsule was a pressurized cabin produced by McDonnell Aircraft and carried supplies of water, food, and oxygen for about one day. Mercury was launched on a top of modified Atlas D ballistic missiles. The capsule was fitted with a launch escape rocket to carry it safely away from the launch vehicle in case of a failure. Small retrorockets were used to bring the spacecraft out of its orbit, after which an ablative heat shield protected it from the heat of atmospheric reentry. Finally, a parachute slowed the craft for a water landing. Both astronaut and capsule were recovered by helicopters deployed from a U.S. Navy ship. The Mercury project missions were followed by millions on radio and TV around the world. Its success laid the groundwork for Project Gemini, which carried two astronauts in each capsule and perfected space docking maneuvers essential for manned lunar landings in the Apollo program announced just a few weeks after the first manned Mercury launch.

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astronauts awards mercury project news media public relations johnson space center gemini program gemini astronaut alan shepard astronaut alan shepard masa award high resolution astronaut alan shepard jr nasa hq photo credit service award wife louise photo national aeronautics space administration nasa
date_range

Date

07/05/1961
collections

in collections

Project Mercury

The first human spaceflight program of the United States.
create

Source

NASA
link

Link

https://images.nasa.gov/
copyright

Copyright info

Public Domain Dedication (CC0)

label_outline Explore Wife Louise, Shepard Jr, Astronaut Alan Shepard

Apollo 14 crewmen show off lunar rocks during meeting with newsmen

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Have a date with us Free to you and your friends, motion pictures, concert music, exhibit talks, guided tours : American Museum of Natural History / / Tyte...[?].

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Cape Canaveral, Fla. -- Retired astronaut and STS-26 Commander Rick Hauck greets spectators from a Chevrolet Corvette during a commemorative parade in Cocoa Beach, Fla. A group of current and retired NASA astronauts gathered in Cocoa Beach to commemorate NASA’s 50 years of accomplishments and to honor astronaut Alan Shepard’s Mercury/Freedom 7 suborbital flight May 5, 1961.The event was marked by a parade, with the astronauts riding in a fleet of Chevrolet Corvettes that corresponded with the time period of their space missions. Members of the Cape Kennedy Corvette Club, a group established in 1967, escorted almost two dozen astronauts or their family representatives in club members' cars. The Corvette parade started at the glass bank building, at 9:34 a.m. EDT, the same time Shepard launched into space. Photo credit: NASA/Kim Shiflett KSC-2011-3381

Orlando, Fla. , March 27, 2012 -- Mary Hudak, FEMA's Region IV External Affairs Director, is presented with the Distinguished Service Award from Former Director of the National Hurricane Center Max Mayfield (left), and current Director of the National Hurricane Center Bill Reed (right) at the 2012 National Hurricane Conference held in Orlando, Fla. FEMA Photo

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astronauts awards mercury project news media public relations johnson space center gemini program gemini astronaut alan shepard astronaut alan shepard masa award high resolution astronaut alan shepard jr nasa hq photo credit service award wife louise photo national aeronautics space administration nasa