It’s hard to believe that it’s been that long. I remember listening to the launch and recovery on the radio while in a shop class in high school.
From NASA:
May 5, 1961
Forty-seven years ago today, astronaut Alan Shepard became the first American in space. He launched aboard his Mercury-Redstone 3, named Freedom 7, to make an historic 15-minute suborbital flight.
This image shows Shepard in capsule before launch. After several delays and more than four hours in the capsule, Shepard was ready to go, and he famously urged mission controllers to ‘fix your little problem and light this candle.’
I can’t imagine a better way to spend my tax dollars.
I can only dream of the day we turn to space for further exploration and industrial pursuits.
There needs to be a renascence in the exploration of the universe. The History Channel has a program called “The Universe” that broadcasts every Tuesday. It’s a good program, but I would like to see more emphasis on the benefits of space exploration.
Of course, the media will have some yokel arguing we have to fix problems down here before going there. No insight, no vision, no future.
Aloha!
Aloha Kini,
Yep media never gets it.
We need more folks like Homer Hickam of October Sky fame. All insight, all the time.