Alan Shepard- 1st American in Space- Derry, NH - Space Flight Memorials and Exhibits on Waymarking.com

In 1959, Shepard was one of 110 military test pilots invited by the newly formed National Aeronautics and Space Administration to volunteer for the first manned space flight program. Following a gruelling series of tests, Shepard became one of the original group of seven Mercury astronauts.

In January, 1961 Shepard was chosen for the first American manned mission into space. Although the flight was originally scheduled to take place in October 1960, delays caused by unplanned preparatory work meant that this was postponed several times, initially to March 6, 1961 and finally to May, 1961. On April 12, 1961, Soviet cosmonaut Yuri Gagarin had become the first man to orbit the Earth.

Alan Shepard in Freedom 7 capsule before launch. On May 5, 1961, Shepard piloted the Freedom 7 mission and became the second person, and the first American, to travel into space. He was launched by a Redstone rocket, and unlike Gagarin's one-hour orbital flight, Shepard stayed on a ballistic trajectory suborbital flight—a flight which carried him to an altitude of 116 statute miles and to a landing point 302 statute miles down the Atlantic Missile Range. Unlike Gagarin, whose flight was strictly automatic, Shepard had some control of Freedom 7, spacecraft attitude in particular. The launch, return from space and subsequent collection by helicopter were seen live on television by millions.

On his successful return to Earth, Shepard was celebrated as a national hero, honored with parades in Washington, New York and Los Angeles and meeting President John F. Kennedy.
Shepard was born and raised in Derry, NH, however no major monument or marker has been erected. The town has named a street, school building, and fire station after him.
This marker is located in the Shepard Family plot of the cemetery. Shepard and his wife were cremated and the ashes spread over Big Sur in California.

Hours: 24/7 Snow will cover it in the winter. Fee (if no fee, enter 'none'): none Amount of time an average person would spend here: Less than an hour Location is wheelchair accessible?: Yes How Long a Hike: Not listed Accessible?: Not listed

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