Light This Candle: Alan Shepard's Freedom 7, 50 Years Ago

[AndyDufresne]

Though Yuri Gagrin was the first man in space, "50 years ago today, Alan Shepard became the first American in space, aboard a Redstone rocket named Freedom 7, by flying 116 miles away from Earth and 303 miles from the launch pad ... He later became one of only a dozen men to walk on the moon, where he hit a golf shot that became perhaps the most memorable moment of the Apollo 14 mission he commanded."

show: Photographs

Photographs courtesy of JSC Digital Image Collection


Relevant Links:

• Short NASA Documentary about Shepard and Freedom 7
• Cockpit Video with Audio, of Alan Shepard in Launch and Flight (Pretty Cool)
• BBC Interview with Shepard's Biographer
• USA Today News Article

--Andy

[Symmetry]

Though Yuri Gagrin was the first man in space, "50 years ago today, Alan Shepard became the first American in space, aboard a Redstone rocket named Freedom 7, by flying 116 miles away from Earth and 303 miles from the launch pad ... He later became one of only a dozen men to walk on the moon, where he hit a golf shot that became perhaps the most memorable moment of the Apollo 14 mission he commanded."

show: Photographs

Photographs courtesy of JSC Digital Image Collection


Relevant Links:

• Short NASA Documentary about Shepard and Freedom 7
• Cockpit Video with Audio, of Alan Shepard in Launch and Flight (Pretty Cool)
• BBC Interview with Shepard's Biographer
• USA Today News Article

--Andy

I used him as an example of achieving your dreams (sorry, I know it sounds lame) back when I was teaching. He kind of gets forgotten because he wasn't the first to do this stuff (Gagarin, Armstrong), but he was one of the most remarkable human beings on the planet, and its satellites.

Nice post.

[shieldgenerator7]

I like how the rocket is named Freedom7. It seems to me like they chose that name because it provided "freedom" from Earth, i.e., the astronaut is being held captive by the planet's gravity and the rocket provides freedom from it.

[2dimes]

He peed his pants.

[Symmetry]

I'm kind of disappointed now- just checked up on the playing golf on the moon story, and it looks to be faked. Ah well- he's still pretty awesome.

[PLAYER57832]

I'm kind of disappointed now- just checked up on the playing golf on the moon story, and it looks to be faked. Ah well- he's still pretty awesome.

????
Alan Shepard did hit a golf ball on the moon. Not sure where you get the idea it was faked?
unless, of course, you refer to the entire "landing on the moon bit" ... lol : ) Because "of course" we all know that was faked... lol lol lol lol

[2dimes]

I'm kind of disappointed now- just checked up on the playing golf on the moon story, and it looks to be faked. Ah well- he's still pretty awesome.

????
Alan Shepard did hit a golf ball on the moon. Not sure where you get the idea it was faked?
unless, of course, you refer to the entire "landing on the moon bit" ... lol : ) Because "of course" we all know that was faked... lol lol lol lol

Did you learn that in university? Someone hit a golf ball on the moon I don't think it was Jose Hemeniz. I'll google it.

[jonesthecurl]

I'm kind of disappointed now- just checked up on the playing golf on the moon story, and it looks to be faked. Ah well- he's still pretty awesome.

What do you mean by "faked"?
...not the first to ask.
Oh, and plagiarism.

[2dimes]

Player scores one for those keeping score. Though the internet can't agree on wether it was a 6 iron or an 8.

http://youtu.be/1yNIMtagHck

[PLAYER57832]

I'm kind of disappointed now- just checked up on the playing golf on the moon story, and it looks to be faked. Ah well- he's still pretty awesome.

????
Alan Shepard did hit a golf ball on the moon. Not sure where you get the idea it was faked?
unless, of course, you refer to the entire "landing on the moon bit" ... lol : ) Because "of course" we all know that was faked... lol lol lol lol

Did you learn that in university? Someone hit a golf ball on the moon I don't think it was Jose Hemeniz. I'll google it.

Nice try, I am old enough to have seen it on TV. In full black and white no less!

[2dimes]

I might have brain damage. I was thinking it was someone with Bean but not Shepard.

[Symmetry]

Ok- that's very weird it looks like the Wiki article on Shepard that I was looking at was either vandalised or being edited and re-edited. When I looked at it it was saying that it was a myth and linking to this article:

Moon Shot

as confirmation. Now that stuff is gone completely, and the weird stub page is all that's left. Ah well- I should be more careful with using wiki.

[Woodruff]

Ok- that's very weird it looks like the Wiki article on Shepard that I was looking at was either vandalised or being edited and re-edited. When I looked at it it was saying that it was a myth and linking to this article:

Moon Shot

as confirmation. Now that stuff is gone completely, and the weird stub page is all that's left. Ah well- I should be more careful with using wiki.

This teacher thanks you for giving me yet another example for my students. <smile>

[Haggis_McMutton]

Ok- that's very weird it looks like the Wiki article on Shepard that I was looking at was either vandalised or being edited and re-edited. When I looked at it it was saying that it was a myth and linking to this article:

Moon Shot

as confirmation. Now that stuff is gone completely, and the weird stub page is all that's left. Ah well- I should be more careful with using wiki.

seems to be fine now.

While on the Moon, Shepard used a Wilson six-iron head attached to a lunar sample scoop handle[7] to drive golf balls. Despite thick gloves and a stiff spacesuit which forced him to swing the club with one hand, Shepard struck two golf balls; driving the second, as he jokingly put it, "miles and miles and miles."[8]

[Army of GOD]

What are you guys talking about? Tiger Woods was the first to play golf on the moon. He shot a 68.



















and then preceded to have sex with moon whores.

[maasman]

Ok- that's very weird it looks like the Wiki article on Shepard that I was looking at was either vandalised or being edited and re-edited. When I looked at it it was saying that it was a myth and linking to this article:

Moon Shot

as confirmation. Now that stuff is gone completely, and the weird stub page is all that's left. Ah well- I should be more careful with using wiki.

This teacher thanks you for giving me yet another example for my students. <smile>

If anything, it should be an example to check more sources, not an example of not to use wikipedia.

[Woodruff]

Ok- that's very weird it looks like the Wiki article on Shepard that I was looking at was either vandalised or being edited and re-edited. When I looked at it it was saying that it was a myth and linking to this article:

Moon Shot

as confirmation. Now that stuff is gone completely, and the weird stub page is all that's left. Ah well- I should be more careful with using wiki.

This teacher thanks you for giving me yet another example for my students. <smile>

If anything, it should be an example to check more sources, not an example of not to use wikipedia.

It's an example of why wikipedia should never be used as a source. It's fine to use as a basis for your research...a starting point, as it were. But it should never be a source.