On this day, May 5, 1961, "Freedom 7" launched from Cape Canaveral, carrying Alan Shepard, the first American in space.

[mahatmakanejeeves]

Last edited Sun May 5, 2024, 12:20 PM - Edit history (1)

In White House Rose Garden, three days after Alan Shepard’s flight of today 1961 as first American in space, JFK accidentally drops Shepard's medal, picks it up and then quips that the medal “has gone from the ground up—here”:

Launch from Cape Canaveral of Freedom 7, with Alan Shepard, first American in space, today 1961. Compared to rocket that took Apollo astronauts into space to land on moon, Shepard’s looks almost like a toy.

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Sat May 6, 2023: Launch from Cape Canaveral of Freedom 7, with Alan Shepard, first American in space, May 5, 1961

Fri May 6, 2022: Launch from Cape Canaveral of Freedom 7, with Alan Shepard, first American in space, May 5, 1961