5th May 1961: Astronaut Alan Shepard becomes the first American to travel in space on Freedom 7

MAY 04 2021 · 12:00

Project Mercury began in October 1958, with the objective of achieving the first human spaceflight. The project was an important part of the early Space Race, in which the USSR had already beaten the United States to put the first satellite into orbit. By this time Shepard had proved himself to be a