Alan Bartlett Shepard Jr. was an astronaut, naval aviator, test pilot, and entrepreneur from the United States.
He was the second person and first American to travel into space in 1961, and he walked on the Moon in 1971.
Shepard served in the surface navy during World War II after graduating from the United States Naval Academy in Annapolis.
In 1946, he became a Navy aviator, and in 1950, he became a test pilot. In 1959, he was chosen as one of NASA’s original Mercury Seven astronauts, and in May 1961, he flew the first crewed Project Mercury mission, Mercury-Redstone 3, in a spacecraft he dubbed Freedom 7.
His craft made it into space, but it was unable to reach orbit. He was the second person to journey into space, and the first American, as well as the first to physically control the orientation of his craft.
What almost happened to Alan Shepard?
Shepard encountered a medical problem after his maiden trip. He was unable to fly in space due to an inner ear condition. He was able to fly again after undergoing surgery to correct the ear condition. Between his first and second flights, almost ten years passed.
What was Alan Shepard’s IQ?
He was transferred to the Admiral Farragut Academy, a Naval Academy prep school, where he graduated with the Class of 1941. According to Farragut IQ tests, he has a score of 145.