Editing Alan Shepard (section)

==NASA career==
===Mercury Seven===
{{Main|Mercury Seven}}
On October 4, 1957, the [[Soviet Union]] launched [[Sputnik 1]], the first artificial [[satellite]]. This shattered American confidence in its technological superiority, creating a wave of anxiety known as the [[Sputnik crisis]]. Among his responses, President [[Dwight D. Eisenhower]] launched the [[Space Race]]. The [[National Aeronautics and Space Administration]] (NASA) was established on October 1, 1958, as a civilian agency to develop space technology. One of its first initiatives was publicly announced on December 17, 1958. This was [[Project Mercury]],{{sfn|Burgess|2011|pp=25–29}} which aimed to launch a man into [[Geocentric orbit|Earth orbit]], return him safely to the Earth, and evaluate his capabilities in space.{{sfn|Swenson|Grimwood|Alexander|1966|p=134}}

[[File:Mercury Seven astronauts with aircraft.jpg|thumb|left|The Mercury Seven astronauts with a USAF [[F-106]]. From left to right: [[Scott Carpenter]], [[Gordon Cooper]], [[John Glenn]], [[Gus Grissom]], [[Wally Schirra]], Alan B. Shepard and [[Deke Slayton]]. |alt=The astronauts pose in front of a delta-winged light blue-gray jet aircraft, holding their flight helmets under their arms. The three Navy aviators wear orange flight suits; the Air Force and Marine ones are green. ]]
NASA received permission from Eisenhower to recruit its first [[astronaut]]s from the ranks of military test pilots. The service records of 508 graduates of test pilot schools were obtained from the [[United States Department of Defense]]. From these, 110 were found that matched the minimum standards:{{sfn|Atkinson|Shafritz|1985|pp=36–39}} the candidates had to be younger than 40, possess a bachelor's degree or equivalent and to be {{convert|5|ft|11|in}} or less. While these were not all strictly enforced, the height requirement was firm, owing to the size of the Project Mercury spacecraft.{{sfn|Burgess|2011|p=35}} The 110 were then split into three groups, with the most promising in the first group.{{sfn|Burgess|2011|p=38}}

The first group of 35, which included Shepard, assembled at [[the Pentagon]] on February 2, 1959. The Navy and [[United States Marine Corps|Marine Corps]] officers were welcomed by the [[Chief of Naval Operations]], Admiral [[Arleigh Burke]], while the [[United States Air Force]] officers were addressed by the [[Chief of Staff of the United States Air Force]], [[General (United States)|General]] [[Thomas D. White]]. Both pledged their support to the Space Program, and promised that the careers of volunteers would not be adversely affected. NASA officials then briefed them on Project Mercury. They conceded that it would be a hazardous undertaking, but emphasized that it was of great national importance. That evening, Shepard discussed the day's events with fellow naval aviators [[Jim Lovell]], [[Pete Conrad]] and [[Wally Schirra]], all of whom would eventually become astronauts. They were concerned about their careers, but decided to volunteer.{{sfn|Burgess|2011|pp=46–51}}{{sfn|Atkinson|Shafritz|1985|pp=40–42}}

[[File:Portrait of Alan B. Shepard.jpg|right|thumb|upright|Shepard in 1960]]
The briefing process was repeated with a second group of 34 candidates a week later. Of the 69, six were found to be over the height limit, 15 were eliminated for other reasons, and 16 declined. This left NASA with 32 candidates. Since this was more than expected, NASA decided not to bother with the remaining 41 candidates, as 32 candidates seemed a more than adequate number from which to select 12 astronauts as planned. The degree of interest also indicated that far fewer would drop out during training than anticipated, which would result in training astronauts who would not be required to fly Project Mercury missions. It was therefore decided to cut the number of astronauts selected to just six.{{sfn|Atkinson|Shafritz|1985|p=42}} Then came a grueling series of physical and psychological tests at the [[Lovelace Respiratory Research Institute|Lovelace Clinic]] and the [[Wright-Patterson Air Force Base|Wright Aerospace Medical Laboratory]].{{sfn|Atkinson|Shafritz|1985|pp=43–47}} Only one candidate, Lovell, was eliminated on medical grounds at this stage, and the diagnosis was later found to be in error;{{sfn|Burgess|2011|pp=234–237}} thirteen others were recommended with reservations. The director of the NASA [[Space Task Group]], [[Robert R. Gilruth]], found himself unable to select only six from the remaining eighteen, and ultimately seven were chosen.{{sfn|Burgess|2011|pp=234–237}}

Shepard was informed of his selection on April 1, 1959. Two days later he traveled to Boston with Louise for the wedding of his cousin Anne, and was able to break the news to his parents and sister.{{sfn|Thompson|2004|pp=196–197}}{{sfn|Shepard et al.|2010|p=67}} The identities of the seven were announced at a press conference at [[Dolley Madison House]] in Washington, D.C., on April 9, 1959:{{sfn|Burgess|2011|pp=274–275}} [[Scott Carpenter]], [[Gordon Cooper]], [[John Glenn]], [[Gus Grissom]], [[Wally Schirra]], Alan Shepard, and [[Deke Slayton]].{{sfn|Atkinson|Shafritz|1985|pp=42–47}} The magnitude of the challenge ahead of them was made clear a few weeks later, on the night of May 18, 1959, when the seven astronauts gathered at [[Cape Canaveral]] to watch their first rocket launch, of an [[SM-65D Atlas]], which was similar to the one that was to carry them into orbit. A few minutes after liftoff, it spectacularly exploded, lighting up the night sky. The astronauts were stunned. Shepard turned to Glenn and said: "Well, I'm glad they got that out of the way."{{sfn|Glenn|Taylor|1985|pp=274–275}}

===''Freedom 7''===
{{Main|Mercury-Redstone 3}}
[[File:Alan Shepard in capsule aboard Freedom 7 before launch.jpg|thumb|upright|left|Shepard in the ''[[Mercury-Redstone 3|Freedom 7]]'' capsule before launch |alt=Shepard in his Mercury space suit and helmet, with tubes connected.]]
Faced with intense competition from the other astronauts, particularly [[John Glenn]], Shepard quit smoking and adopted Glenn's habit of taking a morning jog.{{sfn|Thompson|2004|pp=262–269}} On January 19, 1961, Gilruth informed the seven astronauts that Shepard had been chosen for the first American crewed mission into space.{{sfn|Shepard & Slayton|1994|pp=76–79}} Shepard later recalled Louise's response when he told her that she had her arms around the man who would be the first man in space: "Who let a Russian in here?"<ref>{{cite journal |last=Shepard |first=Alan |journal=[[American Heritage (magazine)|American Heritage]] |date=July–August 1994 |volume=45 |issue=4 |issn=0002-8738 |title=First Step to the Moon |url=http://www.americanheritage.com/content/first-step-moon |access-date=March 6, 2016 |archive-date=November 7, 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151107030954/http://www.americanheritage.com/content/first-step-moon |url-status=live }}</ref> During training he flew 120 simulated flights.{{sfn|Swenson|Grimwood|Alexander|1966|p=343}} Although this flight was originally scheduled for April 26, 1960,{{sfn|Swenson|Grimwood|Alexander|1966|p=141}} it was postponed several times by unplanned preparatory work, initially to December 5, 1960, then mid-January 1961,{{sfn|Swenson|Grimwood|Alexander|1966|p=263}} March 6, 1961,{{sfn|Swenson|Grimwood|Alexander|1966|p=342}} April 25, 1961,{{sfn|Swenson|Grimwood|Alexander|1966|p=324}} May 2, 1961, and finally to May 5, 1961.{{sfn|Swenson|Grimwood|Alexander|1966|p=350}} On April 12, 1961, Soviet [[cosmonaut]] [[Yuri Gagarin]] became the first person in space, and the first to orbit the Earth.{{sfn|Swenson|Grimwood|Alexander|1966|pp=332–333}} It was another body blow to American pride.{{sfn|Swenson|Grimwood|Alexander|1966|p=342}} When Shepard heard the news he slammed his fist down on a table so hard a NASA public relations officer feared he might have broken his hand.{{sfn|Thompson|2004|p=282}}

On May 5, 1961, Shepard piloted the [[Mercury-Redstone 3]] mission and became the second person, and the first American, to travel into space.{{sfn|Burgess|2014|pp=99–100}} He named his spacecraft, Mercury Spacecraft 7, ''Freedom 7''.{{sfn|Swenson|Grimwood|Alexander|1966|p=342}} He awoke at 01:10, and had breakfast consisting of orange juice, a filet mignon wrapped in bacon, and scrambled eggs with his backup, [[John Glenn]], and flight surgeon [[William K. Douglas]]. He was helped into his space suit by suit technician [[Joseph W. Schmitt]], and boarded the transfer van at 03:55. He ascended the gantry at 05:15, and entered the spacecraft five minutes later. It was expected that liftoff would occur in another two hours and five minutes,{{sfn|Swenson|Grimwood|Alexander|1966|p=351}} so Shepard's suit did not have any provision for elimination of bodily wastes, but after being strapped into the capsule's seat, launch delays kept him in that suit for over four hours.{{sfn|Swenson|Grimwood|Alexander|1966|p=341}} Shepard's endurance gave out before launch, and he was forced to [[Urination#Voiding phase|empty his bladder]] into the suit. Medical sensors attached to it to track the astronaut's condition in flight were turned off to avoid shorting them out. The urine pooled in the small of his back, where it was absorbed by his undergarment.{{sfn|Burgess|2014|pp=131–134}}{{sfn|Shepard & Slayton|1994|p=107}} After Shepard's flight, the space suit was modified, and by the time of [[Gus Grissom]]'s [[Mercury-Redstone 4]] suborbital flight in July, a liquid waste collection feature had been built into the suit.{{sfn|Swenson|Grimwood|Alexander|1966|p=368}}

Unlike Gagarin's 108-minute [[orbital flight]] in a [[Vostok (spacecraft)|Vostok]] spacecraft three times the size of ''Freedom 7'',{{sfn|Swenson|Grimwood|Alexander|1966|pp=332–333}} Shepard stayed on a [[sub-orbital spaceflight|suborbital]] trajectory for the 15-minute flight, which reached an altitude of {{convert|101.2|nmi|smi km|abbr=off|sp=us}}, and then fell to a [[splashdown]] {{convert|263.1|nmi|smi km|abbr=off|sp=us}} down the [[Eastern Range|Atlantic Missile Range]].{{sfn|Swenson|Grimwood|Alexander|1966|pp=352–357}} Unlike Gagarin, whose flight was strictly automatic, Shepard had some control of ''Freedom 7'', spacecraft [[Spacecraft attitude control|attitude]] in particular.{{sfn|Burgess|2014|p=147}} Shepard's launch was seen live on television by millions.{{sfn|Swenson|Grimwood|Alexander|1966|pp=360–361}} It was launched atop a [[Mercury-Redstone Launch Vehicle|Redstone rocket]]. According to [[Gene Kranz]] in his 2000 book ''[[Failure Is Not an Option]]'', "When reporters asked Shepard what he thought about as he sat atop the Redstone rocket, waiting for liftoff, he had replied, 'The fact that every part of this ship was built by the lowest bidder.{{'"}}{{sfn|Kranz|2000|pp=200–201}}

[[File:Alan Shepard 1961.jpg|thumb|right|Marine Corps [[HUS-1]] helicopter from [[HMR-262]] retrieves ''Freedom 7'' from the Atlantic.|alt=A green helicopter hovers low over the water, with the Mercury capsule suspended below. The helicopter has "Marines" written on it, and the number "44"]]
After a dramatic Atlantic Ocean recovery, Shepard observed that he "didn't really feel the flight was a success until the recovery had been successfully completed. It's not the fall that hurts; it's the sudden stop."<ref>{{cite web |title=Events of 1961: U.S. in Space |url=http://www.upi.com/Archives/Audio/Events-of-1961/U.S.-in-Space/ |work=[[United Press International]] |year=1961 |access-date=April 18, 2011 |archive-date=August 11, 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170811103945/http://www.upi.com/Archives/Audio/Events-of-1961/U.S.-in-Space/ |url-status=live }}</ref> Splashdown occurred with an impact comparable to landing a jet aircraft on an aircraft carrier. A recovery helicopter arrived after a few minutes, and the capsule was lifted partly out of the water to allow Shepard to leave by the main hatch. He squeezed out of the door and into a sling hoist, and was pulled into the helicopter, which flew both the astronaut and spacecraft to the aircraft carrier {{USS|Lake Champlain|CV-39|6}}. The whole recovery process took just eleven minutes.{{sfn|Swenson|Grimwood|Alexander|1966|pp=356–357}} Shepard was celebrated as a national hero, honored with ticker-tape parades in Washington, New York and Los Angeles, and received the [[NASA Distinguished Service Medal]] from President [[John F. Kennedy]].<ref>{{cite AV media |year=1961 |title=As World Watched. Spaceman Hailed After U.S. Triumph, 1961/05/08 (1961) |medium=Motion picture |url=https://archive.org/details/1961-05-08_As_World_Watched |access-date=February 20, 2012 |publisher=[[Universal Newsreel|Universal-International Newsreel]] |oclc=709678549}}</ref> He was also awarded the [[Distinguished Flying Cross (United States)|Distinguished Flying Cross]].<ref name="valor">{{cite web |url=http://valor.militarytimes.com/recipient.php?recipientid=56428 |title=Valor awards for Alan Bartlett Shepard, Jr. |work=Military Times |access-date=March 7, 2016 |archive-date=August 11, 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170811104020/http://valor.militarytimes.com/recipient.php?recipientid=56428 |url-status=live }}</ref>

Shepard served as [[capsule communicator]] (CAPCOM) for Glenn's [[Mercury-Atlas 6]] orbital flight, which he had also been considered for,{{sfn|Thompson|2004|pp=319–322}} and Carpenter's [[Mercury-Atlas 7]].{{sfn|Thompson|2004|pp=328–330}} He was the backup pilot for Cooper for the [[Mercury-Atlas 9]] mission,{{sfn|Burgess|2014|pp=236–237}} nearly replacing Cooper after Cooper flew low over the NASA administration building at Cape Canaveral in an [[F-102]].{{sfn|Thompson|2004|pp=338–339}} In the final stages of Project Mercury, Shepard was scheduled to pilot the [[Mercury-Atlas 10]] (MA-10), which was planned as a three-day mission.{{sfn|Swenson|Grimwood|Alexander|1966|p=492}} He named Mercury Spacecraft 15B ''Freedom 7 II'' in honor of his first spacecraft, and had the name painted on it,<ref name="40th">{{cite web |url=https://history.nasa.gov/40thmerc7/shepard.htm |title=Alan B. Shepard Jr. |access-date=November 3, 2009 |publisher=National Aeronautics and Space Administration|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20041103035606/https://history.nasa.gov/40thmerc7/shepard.htm |archive-date=November 3, 2004}}</ref> but on June 12, 1963, NASA Administrator [[James E. Webb]] announced that Mercury had accomplished all its goals and no more missions would be flown.{{sfn|Swenson|Grimwood|Alexander|1966|p=492}} Shepard went as far as making a personal appeal to President Kennedy, but to no avail.{{sfn|Thompson|2004|pp=344–345}}

===Project Gemini; chief astronaut===
[[File:KN-C17754. Guests Arrive for Presentation Ceremony of the NASA Distinguished Service Medal to Astronaut Commander Alan B. Shepard, Jr.jpg|thumb|left|Shepard and his wife Louise meet First Lady [[Jacqueline Kennedy]], President [[John F. Kennedy]] and Vice President [[Lyndon B. Johnson]] at the South Portico of the [[White House]], prior to his receiving the [[NASA Distinguished Service Medal]] on May 8, 1961.|alt=The men wear dark suits. A Naval officer in khaki stands behind them. The White House is in the background.]]
[[Project Gemini]], with a crew of two, followed on from Project Mercury.{{sfn|Hacker|Grimwood|1977|pp=3–5}} After the Mercury-Atlas 10 mission was canceled, Shepard was designated as the commander of the first crewed Gemini mission, with [[Thomas P. Stafford]] chosen as his pilot.{{sfn|Thompson|2004|pp=345–346}} In late 1963, Shepard began to experience episodes of extreme dizziness and nausea, accompanied by a loud, clanging noise in the left ear. He tried to keep it secret, fearing that he would lose his flight status, but was aware that if an episode occurred in the air or in space it could be fatal. Following an episode during a lecture in Houston, where he had recently moved from [[Virginia Beach, Virginia]], Shepard was forced to confess his ailment to Slayton, who was now Director of Flight Operations, and seek help from NASA's doctors.{{sfn|Thompson|2004|pp=350–351}}

The doctors diagnosed [[Ménière's disease]], a condition in which fluid pressure builds up in the inner ear. This syndrome causes the semicircular canals and motion detectors to become extremely sensitive, resulting in disorientation, dizziness, and nausea. There was no known cure, but in about 20 percent of cases the condition goes away by itself. They prescribed [[diuretic]]s in an attempt to drain the fluid from the ear. They also diagnosed [[glaucoma]]. An X-ray found a lump on his [[thyroid]], and on January 17, 1964, surgeons at [[Hermann Hospital]] made an incision on his throat and removed 20 percent of his thyroid.{{sfn|Thompson|2004|pp=352–354}}{{sfn|Shepard & Slayton|1994|pp=168–170}} The condition caused Shepard to be removed from flight status. Grissom and [[John Young (astronaut)|John Young]] flew [[Gemini 3]] instead.{{sfn|Thompson|2004|p=366}}

Shepard was designated [[Chief of the Astronaut Office]] in November 1963, receiving the title of Chief Astronaut.{{sfn|Shayler|2001|p=97}} He thereby became responsible for NASA astronaut training. This involved the development of appropriate training programs for all astronauts and the scheduling of training of individual astronauts for specific missions and roles. He provided and coordinated astronaut input into mission planning and the design of spacecraft and other equipment to be used by astronauts on space missions.<ref name="40th" /> He also was on the selection panel for the [[NASA Astronaut Group 5]] in 1966.{{sfn|Burgess|2013|pp=50–52}} He spent much of his time investing in banks, [[wildcatting]], and real estate. He became part owner and vice president of Baytown National Bank and would spend hours on the phone in his NASA office overseeing it. He also bought a partnership in a ranch in [[Weatherford, Texas]], that raised horses and cattle.{{sfn|Thompson|2004|pp=362–363}} During this period, his secretary Gaye Alford had two "mood-of-the-day" photographs taken of Shepard, one of a smiling ''Al'' Shepard, and the other of a grim-looking ''Commander'' Shepard. To warn visitors of Shepard's mood, she would hang the appropriate photograph on the door of her boss's private office.{{sfn|Thompson|2004|pp=359–360}} [[Tom Wolfe]] characterized Shepard's dual personalities as "Smilin' Al" and the "Icy Commander".{{sfn|Wolfe|1979|pp=172–173}}

===Apollo program===
{{Main|Apollo 14}}
[[File:Apollo14 crew high resolution.jpg|thumb|right|The crew of Apollo 14: [[Edgar Mitchell]], Shepard and [[Stuart Roosa]] |alt=Mitchell, a smiling Shepard and Roosa wearing their Apollo space suits without the helmets. Their suits sport their names, the mission patch on the left breast and NASA patch on the right. The wear the American flag on their left sleeve. Shepard has red rings in his arms. In the background is a giant mission patch, surrounded by black space and stars.]]
In 1968, Stafford went to Shepard's office and told him that an [[otologist]] in Los Angeles had developed a cure for Ménière's disease. Shepard flew to Los Angeles, where he met with [[William F. House]]. House proposed to open Shepard's [[mastoid bone]] and make a tiny hole in the [[endolymphatic sac]]. A small tube (endolymphatic-subarachnoid shunt) was inserted to drain excess fluid. The surgery was conducted on May 14, 1968, at [[St. Vincent Medical Center (Los Angeles)|St. Vincent's Hospital]] in Los Angeles, where Shepard checked in under the pseudonym of Victor Poulos.<ref name="40th" />{{sfn|Thompson|2004|pp=386–387}} The surgery was successful, and he was restored to full flight status on May 7, 1969.<ref name="40th" />

Slayton put Shepard down to command the next available Moon mission, which was [[Apollo 13]] in 1970. Under normal circumstances, this assignment would have gone to Cooper, as the backup commander of [[Apollo 10]], but Cooper was not given it. A rookie, [[Stuart Roosa]], was designated the [[Apollo command and service module#Command module (CM)|Command Module]] Pilot. Shepard asked for [[Jim McDivitt]] as his [[Lunar Module]] Pilot, but McDivitt, who had already commanded the [[Apollo 9]] mission, balked at the prospect, arguing that Shepard did not have sufficient Apollo training to command a Moon mission. A rookie, [[Edgar Mitchell]], was designated the Lunar Module Pilot instead.{{sfn|Thompson|2004|pp=390–393}}{{sfn|Slayton|Cassutt|1994|pp=235–238}}

[[File:Alan Shepard during training for the Apollo 14 mission.jpg|thumb|left|Shepard in front of the [[Lunar Landing Research Vehicle]] during training for Apollo 14 |alt=Shepard stands in a white flight suit in front of a vehicle made of tubing, with two metal spheres and a small cabin]]
When Slayton submitted the proposed crew assignments to NASA headquarters, [[George Mueller (NASA)|George Mueller]] turned them down on the grounds that the crew was too inexperienced. So Slayton asked Jim Lovell, who had been the backup commander for [[Apollo 11]], and was slated to command [[Apollo 14]], if his crew would be willing to fly Apollo 13 instead. He agreed to do so, and Shepard's crew was assigned to Apollo 14.{{sfn|Thompson|2004|pp=390–393}}{{sfn|Slayton|Cassutt|1994|pp=235–238}}

Neither Shepard nor Lovell expected there would be much difference between Apollo 13 and Apollo 14,{{sfn|Thompson|2004|pp=390–393}} but Apollo 13 went disastrously wrong. An oxygen tank explosion caused the Moon landing to be aborted and nearly resulted in the loss of the crew. It became a joke between Shepard and Lovell, who would offer to give Shepard back the mission each time they bumped into each other. The failure of Apollo 13 delayed Apollo 14 until 1971 so that modifications could be made to the spacecraft. The target of the Apollo 14 mission was switched to the [[Fra Mauro formation]], the intended destination of Apollo 13.{{sfn|Thompson|2004|pp=402–406}}

Shepard made his second space flight as commander of Apollo 14 from January 31 to February 9, 1971. It was America's third successful [[List of lunar astronauts|lunar landing mission]]. Shepard piloted the Lunar Module ''Antares''.<ref name="Apollo 14" /> He became the fifth and, at the age of 47, the oldest man to walk on the Moon, and the only one of the Mercury Seven astronauts to do so.<ref name="The moon walkers">{{cite news |newspaper=The Guardian |url=https://www.theguardian.com/science/2009/jul/09/apollo-astronauts-walking-moon |title=The moon walkers: Twelve men who have visited another world |first=Christopher |last=Riley |date=July 10, 2009 |access-date=March 7, 2016 |archive-date=February 4, 2014 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140204055219/http://www.theguardian.com/science/2009/jul/09/apollo-astronauts-walking-moon |url-status=live }}</ref>{{sfn|Thompson|2004|p=407}}

This was the first mission to broadcast extensive color television coverage from the lunar surface, using the [[Apollo TV camera#Westinghouse Lunar Color Camera|Westinghouse Lunar Color Camera]]. (The same color camera model was used on [[Apollo 12]] and provided about 30 minutes of color telecasting before it was inadvertently pointed at the Sun, ending its usefulness.) While on the Moon, Shepard used a Wilson six-iron head attached to a lunar sample scoop handle to drive golf balls.<ref name="Apollo 14">{{cite web |url=http://airandspace.si.edu/explore-and-learn/topics/apollo/apollo-program/landing-missions/apollo14.cfm |title=Apollo 14 |date=July 1999 |work=Apollo to the Moon |publisher=[[National Air and Space Museum]] |location=Washington, D.C. |access-date=March 7, 2016 |archive-date=March 6, 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160306214416/http://airandspace.si.edu/explore-and-learn/topics/apollo/apollo-program/landing-missions/apollo14.cfm |url-status=dead }}</ref> Despite thick gloves and a stiff space suit, 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".<ref name="golf">{{cite web |url=https://history.nasa.gov/alsj/a14/a14.clsout2.html |title=EVA-2 Closeout and the Golf Shots |year=1995 |editor-last=Jones |editor-first=Eric M. |work=Apollo 14 Lunar Surface Journal |access-date=May 29, 2011 |publisher=National Aeronautics and Space Administration |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20110524085326/https://history.nasa.gov/alsj/a14/a14.clsout2.html |archive-date=May 24, 2011 | url-status=live}}</ref> Analysis of high-resolution film scans of the event determined the distance to be about {{convert|24|yd|m}} for the first shot and {{convert|40|yd|m}} for the second.<ref>{{cite web |last=Scrivener |first=Peter |url=https://www.bbc.com/sport/golf/55927727 |title=Golf on the moon: Apollo 14 50th anniversary images find Alan Shepard's ball and show how far he hit it |work=[[BBC Sport]] |date=February 4, 2021 |access-date=February 4, 2021 |archive-date=February 4, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210204144226/https://www.bbc.com/sport/golf/55927727 |url-status=live }}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|last=Phelps|first=Jonathan|date=February 7, 2021|title=How far did Alan Shepard golf balls travel on the moon?|url=https://www.unionleader.com/news/human_interest/how-far-did-alan-shepard-golf-balls-travel-on-the-moon/article_32fdee01-74e1-5794-8f0b-d00011c806c3.html|url-status=live|access-date=July 20, 2021|website=UnionLeader.com|language=en|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210208170629/https://www.unionleader.com/news/human_interest/how-far-did-alan-shepard-golf-balls-travel-on-the-moon/article_32fdee01-74e1-5794-8f0b-d00011c806c3.html |archive-date=February 8, 2021 }}</ref>

[[File:Apollo 14 Shepard.jpg|right|thumb|Shepard poses next to the [[Lunar Flag Assembly|American flag]] on the Moon during Apollo 14.|alt=An astronaut in an Apollo space suit with red stripes on the arms and legs and down the helmet stands amid gray dust, grasping the pole of an American flag ]]
For this mission Shepard was awarded the NASA Distinguished Service Medal<ref name="NASA medals">{{cite web |url=https://history.nasa.gov/SP-4012/vol4/appa.htm |title=National Aeronautics and Space Administration Honor Awards |publisher=National Aeronautics and Space Administration |access-date=March 7, 2016 |archive-date=May 17, 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200517135837/https://history.nasa.gov/SP-4012/vol4/appa.htm |url-status=live }}</ref> and the [[Navy Distinguished Service Medal]]. His citation read:{{blockquote|The President of the United States of America takes pleasure in presenting the Navy Distinguished Service Medal to Captain Alan Bartlett Shepard, Jr. (NSN: 0-389998), United States Navy, for exceptionally meritorious and distinguished service in a position of great responsibility to the Government of the United States, as Spacecraft Commander for the Apollo 14 flight to the Fra-Mauro area of the Moon during the period 31 January 1971 to 9 February 1971. Responsible for the on-board control of the spacecraft command module ''Kittyhawk'' and the lunar module ''Antares'' in the gathering of scientific data involving complex and difficult instrumentation positing and sample gathering, including a hazardous two-mile traverse of the lunar surface, Captain Shepard, by his brilliant performance, contributed essentially to the success of this vital scientific Moon mission. As a result of his skillful leadership, professional competence and dedication, the Apollo 14 mission, with its numerous tasks and vital scientific experiments, was accomplished in an outstanding manner, enabling scientists to determine more precisely the Moon's original formation and further forecast man's proper role in the exploration of his Universe. By his courageous and determined devotion to duty, Captain Shepard rendered valuable and distinguished service and contributed greatly to the success of the United States Space Program, thereby upholding the highest traditions of the United States Naval Service.<ref name="valor" />}}

Following Apollo 14, Shepard returned to his position as Chief of the Astronaut Office in June 1971. In July 1971 President [[Richard Nixon]] appointed him as a delegate to the 26th [[United Nations General Assembly]], a position in which he served from September to December 1971.<ref name="40th" /> He was promoted to [[rear admiral (United States)|rear admiral]] by Nixon on August 26, 1971, the first astronaut to reach this rank.<ref>{{cite news |title=Alan Shepard Becomes Admiral |url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?nid=1350&dat=19710826&id=NvJOAAAAIBAJ&pg=3747,3816704 |newspaper=[[The Blade (Toledo)|The Blade]] |location=Toledo, Ohio |date=August 26, 1971 |page=12 |access-date=August 15, 2013 |archive-date=September 14, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210914221138/https://news.google.com/newspapers?nid=1350&dat=19710826&id=NvJOAAAAIBAJ&pg=3747,3816704 |url-status=live }}</ref>{{sfn|Burgess|2014|p=241}} He was succeeded as Chief of the Astronaut Office by John Young on April 30, 1974.<ref>{{cite press release |first=Terry |last=White |date=April 30, 1974 |id=74-71 |title=Young to Head Astronaut Office |url=https://www.nasa.gov/centers/johnson/pdf/83126main_1974.pdf |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170225161744/https://www.nasa.gov/centers/johnson/pdf/83126main_1974.pdf |archive-date=February 25, 2017 }}</ref> Shepard retired from both NASA and the Navy on July 31, 1974.<ref name="40th" />