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60 Years In Space
Jen DiMascio
May 05, 2021
One month earlier, Russian cosmonaut Yuri Gagarin became the first human to orbit the planet. The Soviet Air Force major was quoted in Aviation Week as saying, “Now let all other countries catch up.” Gagarin’s challenge struck a chord with U.S. President John F. Kennedy, who was also smarting from the Bay of Pigs diplomatic blunder. Kennedy began asking what the U.S. could do to leapfrog the Soviets, according to Mike Neufeld, curator in the Space History Department at the Smithsonian National Air and Space Museum.
Credit: NASA
NASA was already getting ready to launch Shepard on a 15-min. suborbital flight, which made him the first U.S. astronaut in space. The rocket was based on the Redstone ballistic missile technology developed by the team led by Wernher von Braun before it was transferred from the Army to NASA in 1960.
etting ready to launch Shepard on a 15-min. suborbital flight, which made him the first U.S. astronaut in space. The rocket was based on the Redstone ballistic missile technology developed by the team led by Wernher von Braun before it was transferred from the Army to NASA in 1960.
Six decades ago, Alan Shepard became the first U.S. astronaut to reach suborbital space. To commemorate the Cold-War-era milestone, the National Air and Space Museum’s Steven F. Udvar-Hazy Center is reopening its doors to visitors on May 5, and has the Freedom 7 capsule on display next to the Apollo 11 command module. This is a look back at our digital archive of the event, along with images of the display and more.
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