COWBOY ASTRONAUTS

1962

    Alan Shepard has ridden a Redstone rockets into space and we have spent the last few days with Gordon Cooper checking out the last of the Mercury-Redstone rockets.  As he left our Laboratory, Cooper said he would dip his wing to the Checkout Crew as he takes off from Redstone Arsenal Airport.  

    We have gathered on the roof top of our building  to receive this promised  tribute.  We hear Gordo’s plane take off and look up to see, not just the dip of a wing, but a full barrel roll just above the tree tops and over our building.      

    From this point on, space exploration moves to the Mercury-Atlas vehicle.  But we will be busy preparing a much larger launch vehicle know as the SATURN.

What Happened on Alan Shepard's First Spaceflight?
On May 5, 1961, Alan Shepard became the first American in space. He flew on a Mercury spacecraft. There was just enough room for one person. He named his capsule Freedom 7. It launched on a Redstone rocket. The Army first used the Redstone as a missile. On this flight, Shepard did not orbit Earth. He flew 116 miles high. Then he came back down. The flight lasted about 15 ½ minutes. The mission was a success.