biography
| name: |
Shepard, Alan (Bartlett), Jr
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| sex:
| male
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| lived:
| (1923–98)
|
| biography:
| Astronaut and NASA administrator, born in East Derry, New Hampshire, USA. An Annapolis graduate, after World War 2 service on a destroyer he became a US Navy pilot. One of the seven original astronauts (1959), he became the first American in space when, on 5 May 1961, he rode the capsule ‘Freedom 7’ to an altitude of 117 miles. Grounded because of an ear disorder (1963–9), he directed NASA's astronaut training programme (1965–74). When recovered, he commanded the Apollo 14 lunar mission (1971) and became the fifth astronaut to land on the moon. Promoted to rear-admiral, he retired from NASA and the US Navy in 1974 and entered private business in Houston. |
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