Three weeks later, on May 5, 1961, Alan Shepard became the first American in space, launched in a ballistic trajectory on Mercury-Redstone 3, in a spacecraft he named Freedom 7. Though he did not achieve orbit like Gagarin, he was the first person to exercise manual control over his spacecraft's attitude and retro-rocket firing. After his successful return, Shepard was celebrated as a national hero, honored with parades in Washington, New York and Los Angeles, and received the NASA Distinguished Service Medal from President John F. Kennedy.
When did Alan Shepard first arrive in space?
May 5, 1961
Three weeks later, on May 5, 1961, Alan Shepard became the first American in space, launched in a ballistic trajectory on Mercury-Redstone 3, in a spacecraft he named Freedom 7.
Three weeks later, on May five, nineteen sixty-one, Alan Shepard became the first American in space, launched in a ballistic trajectory on Mercury-Redstone three, in a spacecraft he named Freedom seven.
When did Alan Shepard first arrive in space?