"It was Mercury-Redstone 3, but Alan Shepard named it
Freedom 7. And while the duration of its flight lasted only 15 minutes and 28
seconds, reaching an altitude of 116.5 miles above the earth, it was
historic—launching naval officer Alan Shepard into a suborbital spaceflight and
into history. He would be the first American to journey into space. Only 58
years before, the measurements were 12 seconds and 120 feet above the sands of
Kill Devil Hill. The pilot then was Orville Wright.
The 'seven' stood for the original seven
Mercury astronauts and 'Freedom' stood for you and me. America's space program
took off on May 5, 1961 and we are all the beneficiaries of a program that made
us proud to be Americans—one that immeasurably improved our scientific
knowledge and quality of life around the globe.
How exciting it was to be gathered together
at school to watch the early space flights on a large industrial TV wheeled in
on a dolly just for the occasion. The Cape Canaveral countdown gave us time to
anticipate, and time to dream about what lay ahead.
Beyond all the tangible benefits of
America's space program in new and improved technologies, it will forever be
the courageous challenge of launching into space and the inspiration of
exploring new frontiers that has given us the greatest boost of all! Thank you
Alan Shepard for your courage and patriotism on this day 60 years ago."
A tribute to Alan B. Shepard by Cameron S.
Brown
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