Alan Shepard

Profession: Astronaut

Nationality:

Biography: Alan Bartlett Shepard Jr. an American astronaut and the first American to travel into space, as well as one of the few individuals to have walked on the Moon. He was the second person to travel into space after the Soviet cosmonaut Yuri Gagarin.

Born in New Hampshire, Shepard embarked on a military career following his graduation from the United States Naval Academy. He served in World War II and transitioned to a naval aviator in 1947, and then later a test pilot in 1950.

Shepard's involvement in space exploration began in earnest when he was selected as one of the original NASA Mercury Seven astronauts in 1959.

Shepard's journey into space took place in 1961 aboard the Freedom 7 spacecraft during the Mercury-Redstone 3 mission. Although his initial foray was only a 15-minute suborbital flight, it made him the first American in space.

A subsequent orbital flight that Shepard was slated to command was canceled, and in 1963, was diagnosed with Ménière's disease, which grounded him from flight duties. Despite this challenge, Shepard's fortunes changed after a successful surgical intervention in 1968, allowing him to return to active duty.

Shepard was the Chief of the Astronaut Office from 1963 to 1969 and resumed this post from 1971 until his retirement in 1974. He returned to space in 1971 in command of the Apollo 14 mission, which led him to the Moon's surface where he famously struck two golf balls.

In 1971 Shepard was promoted to the rank of rear admiral, marking him as the first astronaut to achieve this status. He officially retired from both the United States Navy and NASA in 1974.

Shepard subsequently entered into the corporate world, participating in various private ventures and serving on boards, as well as co-founding the Astronaut Scholarship Foundation. Shepard also recorded his experiences in the book Moon Shot: The Inside Story of America's Race to the Moon (1994).

Born: November 18, 1923
Birthplace: Derry, New Hampshire, USA

Generation: Greatest Generation
Chinese Zodiac: Pig
Star Sign: Scorpio

Died: July 21, 1998 (aged 74)
Cause of Death: Leukemia