Alan Shepard: American astronaut, first American in space, lunar explorer (1923–1998)
Alan Shepard (November 18, 1923 - July 21, 1998) was an American astronaut.
He was the first American to travel into space. He was born in East Derry, New Hampshire. He received a Bachelor of Science at Naval Academy in 1944, graduated at Naval Testpilot School in 1951 and he earned a Master of Arts at the Naval War College in 1957.
Alan Shepard | |
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| Born | Alan Bartlett Shepard Jr. November 18, 1923 Derry, New Hampshire, U.S. |
| Died | July 21, 1998 (aged 74) Pebble Beach, California, U.S. |
| Cause of death | Leukemia |
| Nationality | American |
| Alma mater |
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| Occupations |
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| Spouse(s) | Louise (m. 1945; died 1998) |
| Children |
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| Awards |
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| Space career | |
| NASA astronaut | |
| Rank |  Rear Admiral, USN |
Time in space | 9 days 57 minutes |
Total EVAs | 2 |
Total EVA time | 9 hours 23 minutes |
| Missions | MR-3, Apollo 14 |
Mission insignia |   |
| Retirement | August 1, 1974 |
On May 5, 1961, Shepard flew into space in the Mercury spacecraft. This was powered by a Redstone rocket.
He made another space flight as spacecraft commander (person in charge) of Apollo 14. This was the third trip to land astronauts on the moon. The trip lasted from January 31 - February 9, 1971. At the age of 47, he was the oldest person to ever walk on the Moon.
Personal life
In April 5, 1945, Shepard married with Louise. They also had three children.
Shepard suffered with leukemia in 1996 and died on July 21, 1998 in Pebble Beach, California. His wife died from a heart attack on August 25, 1998.
References
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