On May 5, 1961, Alan B. Shepard Jr. was launched in the Freedom 7 spacecraft by a Redstone vehicle on a ballistic trajectory, suborbital flight. His orbit lasted 15 minutes and 23 seconds and carried him at an altitude of 303 statute miles.
The success of this launch made him the first American to travel into space, an achievement that opened a door to space travel for the Free World.
Mercury astronaut Scott Carpenter and members of the Shepard family joined more than 150 project Mercury workers, former astronauts, military and NASA leaders last week on Cape Canaveral Air Force Station to celebrate the 50th anniversary of this first American in space.
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