NASA Honours Alan Shepard as It Celebrates 60th Anniversary of First American in Space
On May 5, 1961, astronaut Alan Shepard rocketed to space in the now-iconic Mercury capsule, Freedom 7. By Edited by Gadgets 360 Newsdesk | Updated: 6 May 2021 17:08 IST
Photo Credit: Twitter/ @nasa
Alan Shepard s brief flight proved to be a stepping stone for the US in the realm of space
Highlights
President Kennedy presented him with the Distinguished Service Medal
Shepard became the first American to travel to space
NASA astronaut Alan Shepard became the first American to travel to space 60 years ago on May 5. The space research organisation honoured Shepard and his mission with a special page on its website. The year 1961 was extremely crucial as the United States and the Soviet Union the two dominant superpowers at the time were locked in a race to send the first human to space. With the Soviet Union launching the first artificial satellite called S