Existing comment:
Freedom 7:
On May 5, 1961, Naval Academy graduate Alan Shepard (Class of 1945) became the first American in space. Enclosed in this Mercury spacecraft, Freedom 7, Shepard rode atop a Redstone rocket to an altitude of 116 miles. The flight of Freedom 7 lasted 15 minutes, 22 seconds, and ended in the Atlantic Ocean just over 300 miles from the launch pad at Cape Canaveral, Florida. This was a defining moment in the American space program, and the first step toward a successful lunar landing.
The Mercury spacecraft is approximately 9 feet high and 6 feet in diameter. The bell-shaped spacecraft consists of two sections. The conical lower section housed Shepard and his equipment. A heatshield attached to the base of the lower section enabled the spacecraft to survive the searing heat of the atmospheric entry. Two parachutes were located in the cylindrical upper section. |