Freedom 7

Fifty years ago today, Alan Shepard rode Freedom 7 into the history books, becoming the first American in space. While lasting only 15 minutes and reaching an altitude of only 116 miles, Freedom 7 set the stage for President Kennedy's dramatic proposal three weeks later that the U. S. put a man on the Moon before the decade was out, and return him safely to the Earth.

As one gauge of the extraordinary progress made by NASA, Shepard was not only the first American in space, but also the fifth man to set foot on the Moon as commander of Apollo 14-- an astounding double which shows what humans can do when we dedicate ourselves to achieving a goal.