Editing Alan Shepard

{{Short description|American astronaut and lunar explorer (1923–1998)}}
{{other uses|Alan Shepard (disambiguation)}}
{{featured article}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=November 2023}}
{{Infobox astronaut
| image = Business suit portrait of Al Shepard.jpg
| alt = Shepard stands behind a chair wearing a blue suit. In the background is an American flag.
| caption = Shepard in 1971
| birth_name = Alan Bartlett Shepard Jr.
| birth_date = {{birth date|1923|11|18}}
| birth_place = [[Derry, New Hampshire]], U.S.
| death_date = {{death date and age|1998|7|21|1923|11|18}}
| death_place = [[Pebble Beach, California]], U.S.
| spouse = {{marriage|Louise Brewer|1945}}
| children = 2
| relatives = [[Annie Bartlett Shepard]] (grandmother)
| education = [[United States Naval Academy]] ([[Bachelor of Science|BS]])<br>[[Naval War College]] ([[Master of Arts|MA]])
| awards = {{plainlist|
*[[Distinguished Service Medal (US Navy)|Navy Distinguished Service Medal]]
*[[Distinguished Flying Cross (United States)|Distinguished Flying Cross]]
*[[Congressional Space Medal of Honor]]
*[[NASA Distinguished Service Medal]] (2)
*[[NASA Exceptional Service Medal]]}}
| type = [[NASA astronaut]]
| rank = [[Rear admiral (United States)|Rear Admiral]], [[United States Navy|USN]]
| time = 9d 0h 16m
| selection = [[Mercury Seven|NASA Group 1 (1959)]]
| eva1 = 2
| eva2 = 9h 23m
| mission = {{ubl|[[Mercury-Redstone 3]]|[[Apollo 14]]}}
| insignia = [[File:Mercury 3 - Patch.png|50px|alt=The circular patch depicts a Mercury capsule and a map of Florida, indicating the ballistic path of the capsule into the Atlantic Ocean. The words say: "Mercury 3 – Shepard – Freedom 7"]] [[File:Apollo 14-insignia.png|50px|alt=The circular patch depicts the Earth and the Moon. An astronaut lapel pin leaves a comet trail from the liftoff point on Earth. Around it is the logo "Apollo 14 – Shepard Roosa Mitchell"]]
| retirement = July 31, 1974
}}
'''Alan Bartlett Shepard Jr.''' (November 18, 1923&nbsp;– July 21, 1998) was an American [[astronaut]]. In 1961, he became the second person and the first American to travel into space and, in 1971, he became the [[List of Apollo astronauts#Apollo astronauts who walked on the Moon|fifth and oldest person to walk on the Moon]], at age 47.

A graduate of the [[United States Naval Academy]] at [[Annapolis]], Shepard saw action with the surface navy during [[World War II]]. He became a naval aviator in 1947, and a test pilot in 1950. He was selected as one of the original [[NASA]] [[Mercury Seven]] astronauts in 1959, and in May 1961 he made the first crewed [[Project Mercury]] flight, [[Mercury-Redstone 3]], in a spacecraft he named ''[[Freedom 7]]''. His craft entered space, but was not capable of achieving [[orbit]]. He became the second person, and the first American, to travel into space. 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. He named Mercury Spacecraft 15B ''Freedom 7 II'' in honor of his first spacecraft, but the mission was canceled.

Shepard was designated as the commander of the first crewed [[Project Gemini]] mission, but was grounded in October 1963 due to [[Ménière's disease]], an inner-ear ailment that caused episodes of extreme dizziness and nausea. This was surgically corrected in 1968, and in 1971, Shepard commanded the [[Apollo 14]] mission, piloting the [[Apollo Lunar Module]] ''Antares''. He was the only one of the Mercury Seven astronauts to walk on the Moon. During the mission, he hit two [[golf ball]]s on the [[lunar surface]].

Shepard was [[Chief of the Astronaut Office]] from November 1963 to August 1969 (the approximate period of his grounding), and from June 1971 until April 30, 1974. On August 25, 1971, he was promoted to [[Rear admiral (United States)#Rear admiral|rear admiral]], the first astronaut to reach that rank. He retired from the [[United States Navy]] and [[NASA]] on July 31, 1974.

==Early life==
Alan Bartlett Shepard Jr. was born on November 18, 1923, at 64 East Derry Road in [[Derry, New Hampshire]],{{sfn|Thompson|2004|p=7}} to Alan Bartlett Shepard Sr. (1891–1973) and Pauline Renza Shepard ({{nee|Emerson}}; 1900–1993).{{sfn|Burgess|2014|p=69}} He had a younger sister, Pauline, who was known as Polly.{{sfn|Thompson|2004|p=8}} The two were descendants of ''[[Mayflower]]'' passenger [[Richard Warren]],{{sfn|Burgess|2014|p=69}} and were related to [[Scottish people|Scottish]] emigrants from [[Berneray (North Uist)|Berneray]] in the [[Outer Hebrides]], through the Shepard line.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Tobar an Dualchais |trans-title=The Source of Heritage |url=https://www.tobarandualchais.co.uk/track/49447?l=gd |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231029220414/https://www.tobarandualchais.co.uk/track/49447?l=gd |archive-date=October 29, 2023 |access-date=April 27, 2022 |website=Tobar an Dualchais |language=gd}}</ref> Their grandmother, [[Annie Bartlett Shepard]], served as the State Regent of the New Hampshire Society of the [[Daughters of the American Revolution]].<ref>{{Cite book |last=Claghorn |first=Charles Eugene |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=1Ol2AAAAMAAJ&q=Annie+Bartlett+Shepard |title=Women Patriots of the American Revolution: A Biographical Dictionary |date=1991 |publisher=Scarecrow Press |isbn=978-0-8108-2421-8 |pages=161–162 |language=en}}</ref> Alan Bartlett Shepard Sr., known as Bart, worked in the Derry National Bank, owned by Shepard's grandfather. Bart joined the [[National Guard of the United States|National Guard]] in 1915 and served in France with the [[American Expeditionary Force]] during [[World War I]].{{sfn|Thompson|2004|p=10}} He remained in the National Guard between the wars, and was recalled to active duty during [[World War II]], rising to the rank of [[lieutenant colonel (United States)|lieutenant colonel]].{{sfn|Burgess|2014|p=70}}

Shepard attended Adams School in Derry, where his academic performance impressed his teachers. He skipped the sixth grade{{sfn|Thompson|2004|pp=16–18}} and proceeded to [[middle school]] at Oak Street School in Derry,{{sfn|Burgess|2014|p=70}} where he also skipped the eighth grade.{{sfn|Thompson|2004|pp=16–18}} He achieved the [[Boy Scouts of America]] rank of [[First Class Scout (Boy Scouts of America)|First Class Scout]].<ref>{{Cite web |url=http://www.usscouts.org/eagle/eagleastronauts.asp |title=Astronauts With Scouting Experience |website=U.S. Scouting Service Project |access-date=May 1, 2019 |archive-date=May 1, 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190501182242/http://www.usscouts.org/eagle/eagleastronauts.asp |url-status=live }}</ref> In 1936, he went to the [[Pinkerton Academy]], a private school in Derry that his father had attended and where his grandfather had been a trustee.<ref>{{Cite web |title=History |url=https://www.pinkertonacademy.org/about/history |access-date=November 18, 2023 |publisher=Pinkerton Academy }}</ref> He completed grades 9 to 12 there.{{sfn|Thompson|2004|pp=16–18}} Fascinated by flight, he created a model airplane club at the academy and his Christmas present in 1938 was a flight in a [[Douglas DC-3]].{{sfn|Thompson|2004|pp=20–24}} The following year he began cycling to [[Manchester–Boston Regional Airport|Manchester Airfield]], where he would do odd jobs in exchange for the occasional ride in an airplane or informal flying lesson.{{sfn|Shepard et al.|2010|p=64}}{{sfn|Thompson|2004|pp=24–27}}

Shepard graduated from Pinkerton Academy in 1940. Because World War II was already raging in Europe, his father wanted him to join the Army. Shepard chose the Navy instead. He easily passed the entrance exam to the [[United States Naval Academy]] at [[Annapolis]] in 1940 but at sixteen was too young to enter that year. The Navy sent him to the [[Admiral Farragut Academy]], a [[University-preparatory school|prep school]] for the Naval Academy from which he graduated with the Class of 1941.{{sfn|Thompson|2004|pp=27–29}} Tests administered at Farragut indicated an [[IQ]] of 145 but his grades were mediocre.{{sfn|Thompson|2004|pp=36–37}}

At the Naval Academy, Shepard enjoyed [[aquatic sports]]. He was a keen and competitive sailor, winning several races, including a [[regatta]] held by the Annapolis Yacht Club. He learned to sail all the types of boats the academy owned, up to and including {{USS|Freedom|IX-43|6}}, a {{convert|90|ft|adj=on}} [[schooner]]. He also participated in swimming and rowed with the [[eight (rowing)|eight]].{{sfn|Thompson|2004|pp=36–37}} During his Christmas break in 1942, he went to [[Principia College]] to be with his sister, who was unable to go home owing to wartime travel restrictions. There he met Louise Brewer, whose parents were pensioners on the [[du Pont family]] estate and like Renza Shepard, were devout [[Christian Science|Christian Scientists]].{{sfn|Thompson|2004|pp=40–42}}<ref>{{cite news |url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=XRlWAAAAIBAJ&pg=6852%2C5193324 |newspaper=Eugene Register-Guard |location=Eugene, Oregon |agency=Associated Press |title=Well-wishers besiege Alan Shepard family |date=October 28, 1961 |page=5 |access-date=April 22, 2022 |archive-date=March 27, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220327231730/https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=XRlWAAAAIBAJ&pg=6852%2C5193324 |url-status=live }}</ref> Owing to the war, the usual four-year course at Annapolis was cut short by a year. He graduated with the Class of 1945 on June 6, 1944, ranked 463rd out of 915, and was commissioned as an [[Ensign (rank)#United States|ensign]] and awarded a [[Bachelor of Science]] degree. The following month he became secretly engaged to Louise.{{sfn|Thompson|2004|p=56}}<ref name="nasa bio" />

==Naval service==
{{quote box|align=right|width=30%|quote="You know, being a test pilot isn't always the healthiest business in the world."|salign=right|source=—Shepard quoted at the New Mexico Museum of Space History<ref name="nmspacemuseum.org">{{cite web |url=http://www.nmspacemuseum.org/halloffame/detail.php?id=55 |title=International Space Hall of Fame :: New Mexico Museum of Space History :: Inductee Profile |publisher=New Mexico Museum of Space History |access-date=March 4, 2016 |archive-date=February 27, 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170227213907/http://www.nmspacemuseum.org/halloffame/detail.php?id=55 |url-status=live }}</ref>}}
After a month of classroom instruction in aviation, Shepard was posted to a [[destroyer]], {{USS|Cogswell|DD-651|6}}, in August 1944;{{sfn|Thompson|2004|p=57}} it was US Navy policy that aviation candidates should first have some service at sea.{{sfn|Shepard et al.|2010|p=64}} At the time the destroyer was deployed on active service in the Pacific Ocean. Shepard joined it when it returned to the [[Naval Base Ulithi|naval base at Ulithi]] on October 30.<ref name="Cogswell">{{cite web |url=https://www.history.navy.mil/research/histories/ship-histories/danfs/c/cogswell.html |title=Cogswell |publisher=Naval History and Heritage Command |access-date=March 2, 2016 |archive-date=June 12, 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180612141856/https://www.history.navy.mil/research/histories/ship-histories/danfs/c/cogswell.html |url-status=live }}</ref> After just two days at sea ''Cogswell'' helped rescue 172 sailors from the [[cruiser]] {{USS|Reno|CL-96|6}}, which had been torpedoed by a Japanese submarine, then escorted the crippled ship back to Ulithi. The ship was buffeted by [[Typhoon Cobra]] in December 1944, a storm in which three other destroyers went down, and battled [[kamikazes]] in the [[invasion of Lingayen Gulf]] in January 1945.{{sfn|Thompson|2004|pp=62–64}}

[[File:USS Cogswell (DD-651) underway in 1945.jpg|thumb|left|{{USS|Cogswell|DD-651|6}} in 1945|alt=A ship plows through the water. It has two guns forward, and two aft.]]
''Cogswell'' returned to the United States for an overhaul in February 1945. Shepard was given three weeks' leave, in which time he and Louise decided to marry. The ceremony took place on March 3, 1945, in St. Stephen's Lutheran Church in [[Wilmington, Delaware]]. His father, Bart, served as his best man. The newlyweds had only a brief time together before Shepard rejoined ''Cogswell'' at the [[Long Beach Navy Yard]] on April 5, 1945.{{sfn|Thompson|2004|pp=66–68}} After the war, they had two children, both daughters: Laura, born in 1947,{{sfn|Thompson|2004|p=109}} and Julie, born in 1951.{{sfn|Thompson|2004|p=131}} Following the death of Louise's sister in 1956, they raised her five-year-old niece, Judith Williams—whom they renamed Alice to avoid confusion with Julie—as their own, although they never adopted her.{{sfn|Thompson|2004|pp=178–179}}<ref>{{cite news |url=http://fultonhistory.com/Newspaper%2011/North%20Tonawanda%20NY%20Evening%20News/North%20Tonawanda%20NY%20Evening%20News%201961%20%20Grayscale/North%20Tonawanda%20NY%20Evening%20News%201961%20%20Grayscale%20-%202172.pdf |date=May 5, 1961 |title=Astronaut's Wife Was Confident |newspaper=North Tonawanda NY Evening News |access-date=February 13, 2017 |archive-date=March 10, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210310021206/https://fultonhistory.com/Newspaper%2011/North%20Tonawanda%20NY%20Evening%20News/North%20Tonawanda%20NY%20Evening%20News%201961%20%20Grayscale/North%20Tonawanda%20NY%20Evening%20News%201961%20%20Grayscale%20-%202172.pdf |url-status=live }}</ref> They eventually had six grandchildren.{{sfn|Thompson|2004|p=439}}

On Shepard's second cruise with ''Cogswell'', he was appointed a gunnery officer, responsible for the 20&nbsp;mm and 40&nbsp;mm antiaircraft guns on the ship's bow. They engaged kamikazes in the [[Battle of Okinawa]], where the ship served in the dangerous role of a [[radar picket]]. The job of the radar pickets was to warn the fleet of incoming kamikazes, but because they were often the first ships sighted by incoming Japanese aircraft, they were also the most likely ships to be attacked. ''Cogswell'' performed this duty from May 27 until June 26, 1945, when it rejoined [[Task Force 38]]. The ship also participated in the [[Allied naval bombardments of Japan during World War II|Allied naval bombardments of Japan]], and was present in [[Tokyo Bay]] for the [[Surrender of Japan]] in September 1945. Shepard returned to the United States later that month.<ref name="Cogswell" />{{sfn|Thompson|2004|pp=69–80}}

[[File:Alan Shepard as a student aviator - higher contrast.jpg|thumb|right|upright|Shepard as a student aviator in 1946|alt=Shepard, in Navy uniform short and tie, stands before a blackboard on which is stencilled "Student aviator USN – 8-19-1946 class. Above that is written in chalk: "Lt (jg) Shepard, Alan B. Jr"]]
In November 1945, Shepard arrived at [[Naval Air Station Corpus Christi]] in [[Texas]], where he commenced basic flight training on January 7, 1946.{{sfn|Thompson|2004|pp=84–87}} He was an average student, and for a time faced being "bilged" (dropped) from flight training and reassigned to the surface navy. To make up for this, he took private lessons at a local civilian flying school—something the Navy frowned on—earning a civil pilot's license.{{sfn|Thompson|2004|pp=90–95}} His flying skills gradually improved, and by early 1947 his instructors rated him above average. He was sent to [[Naval Air Station Pensacola]] in Florida for advanced training. His final test was six perfect landings on the carrier {{USS|Saipan|CVL-48|6}}. The following day, he received his [[United States Naval Aviator|naval aviator]] [[United States Aviator Badge|wings]], which his father pinned on his chest.{{sfn|Thompson|2004|pp=100–103}}

Shepard was assigned to [[Attack Squadron 42 (United States Navy)|Fighter Squadron 42]] (VF-42), flying the [[Vought F4U Corsair]]. The squadron was nominally based on the [[aircraft carrier]] {{USS|Franklin D. Roosevelt|CV-42|6}}, but the ship was being overhauled at the time Shepard arrived, and in the meantime the squadron was based at [[Naval Air Station Norfolk]] in [[Virginia]]. He departed on his first cruise, of the [[Caribbean]], on ''Franklin D. Roosevelt'' with VF-42 in 1948. Most of the aviators were, like Shepard, on their first assignment. Those who were not were given the opportunity to qualify for night landings on a carrier, a dangerous maneuver, especially in a Corsair, which had to bank sharply on approach. Shepard managed to persuade his squadron commander to allow him to qualify as well. After briefly returning to Norfolk, the carrier set out on a nine-month tour of the [[Mediterranean Sea]]. He earned a reputation for carousing and chasing women. He also instituted a ritual of, whenever he could, calling Louise at 17:00 (her time) each day.{{sfn|Thompson|2004|pp=109–114}}

Normally sea duty alternated with periods of duty ashore. In 1950, Shepard was selected to attend the [[United States Naval Test Pilot School]] at [[Naval Air Station Patuxent River]] in [[Maryland]] with class five, graduating in January 1951.{{sfn|Thompson|2004|pp=124–125}}{{sfn|Naval Test Pilot School|1984|pp=14–19}} As a test pilot he conducted high-altitude tests to obtain information about the light and air masses at different altitudes over North America; carrier suitability certification of the [[McDonnell F2H Banshee]]; experiments with the Navy's new in-flight refueling system; and tests of the [[angled flight deck]].<ref name="nasa bio">{{cite web |url=https://www.nasa.gov/sites/default/files/atoms/files/shepard_alan.pdf |title=Astronaut Bio: Alan B. Shepard, Jr. (REAR ADMIRAL, USN, RET.) NASA ASTRONAUT (DECEASED) |date=September 1998 |publisher=National Aeronautics and Space Administration |access-date=June 2, 2021 |archive-date=July 20, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210720121817/https://www.nasa.gov/sites/default/files/atoms/files/shepard_alan.pdf |url-status=live }}</ref> He narrowly avoided being [[court-martial]]ed by the station commander, [[Rear Admiral (United States)|Rear Admiral]] [[Alfred M. Pride]], after looping the [[Chesapeake Bay Bridge]] and making low passes over the beach at [[Ocean City, Maryland]], and the base; but Shepard's superiors, [[John Hyland]] and Robert M. Elder, interceded on his behalf.{{sfn|Thompson|2004|pp=131–137}}

[[File:Alan Shepard's 105th Sortie with F4U-4 on USS Franklin D. Roosevelt.jpg|thumb|left|Shepard's 105th F4U sortie on {{USS|Franklin D. Roosevelt|CVB-42|6}}|alt=A Corsair on deck. A man stands nearby with fist upraised, giving a signal. There is another Corsair in the air above.]]
Shepard's next assignment was to [[VF-142|VF-193]], a [[night fighter]] squadron flying the Banshee, that was based at [[Naval Air Station Moffett Field]], California. The squadron was part of Commander [[James D. Ramage|James D. "Jig Dog" Ramage]]'s Air Group 19. Naval aviators with experience in jet aircraft were still relatively rare, and Ramage specifically requested Shepard's assignment on the advice of Elder, who commanded VF-193's sister squadron, [[VF-191]]. Ramage made Shepard his own [[wingman]],{{sfn|Thompson|2004|pp=144–148}} a decision that would save Ramage's life in 1954, when his oxygen system failed and Shepard talked him through a landing.{{sfn|Thompson|2004|pp=167–169}} As squadron operations officer, Shepard's most important task was imparting his knowledge of flying jets to his fellow aviators to keep them alive. He served two tours on the aircraft carrier {{USS|Oriskany|CV-34|6}} in the western Pacific. It set out on a combat tour off Korea in 1953, during the [[Korean War]], but the [[Korean Armistice Agreement]] ended the fighting in July 1953, and Shepard did not see combat.{{sfn|Thompson|2004|pp=151–154}}

Rear Admiral [[John P. Whitney]] requested Shepard's services as an [[aide de camp]], but Shepard wanted to fly. Therefore, at Shepard's request, Ramage spoke to the admiral on his behalf, and Shepard was instead sent back to Patuxent.{{sfn|Thompson|2004|pp=170–172}} He flight tested the [[McDonnell F3H Demon]], [[Vought F-8 Crusader]], [[Douglas F4D Skyray]] and [[Grumman F-11 Tiger]].{{sfn|Shepard et al.|2010|p=65}} The [[Vought F7U Cutlass]] tended to go into an inverted spin during a snap roll. This was not unusual; many aircraft did this, but normally if the pilot let go of the stick the aircraft would correct itself. When he attempted this in the F7U, Shepard found this was not the case. He was unable to break out of the spin and was forced to eject. In 1957, he was project test pilot on the [[Douglas F5D Skylancer]]. Shepard did not like the plane, and gave it an unfavorable report. The Navy canceled orders for it, buying the F8U instead. He also filed an unfavorable report on the F11F after a harrowing incident in which the engine failed on him during a high-speed dive. He managed to restart the engine and avoid a fatal crash.{{sfn|Thompson|2004|pp=175–177}}

Shepard was an [[flight instructor|instructor]] at the Test Pilot School, and then entered the [[Naval War College]] at [[Newport, Rhode Island]].{{sfn|Thompson|2004|pp=177–181}} He graduated in 1957, and became an Aircraft Readiness Officer on the staff of the [[Commander-in-Chief]], [[United States Fleet Forces Command|Atlantic Fleet]].{{sfn|Thompson|2004|p=190}} By this time he had logged more than 3,600 hours of flying time, including 1,700 hours in jets.<ref>{{cite news |date=April 10, 1959 |newspaper=[[The Salt Lake Tribune]] |page=1 |title=Meet the New Men of Space |url=https://www.newspapers.com/newspage/12123349/ |access-date=March 4, 2016 |archive-date=August 13, 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170813224225/https://www.newspapers.com/newspage/12123349/ |url-status=dead }}</ref>
{{clear}}

==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" />

==Later years==
[[File:Alan Shepard.jpg|thumb|upright|left|Shepard in 1995]]
Shepard was devoted to his children. Frequently, Julie, Laura and Alice were the only astronauts' children at NASA events. He taught them to ski and took them skiing in [[Colorado]]. He once rented a small plane to fly them and their friends from Texas to a [[summer camp]] in Maine. He doted on his six grandchildren as well. After Apollo 14, he began to spend more time with Louise and started taking her with him on trips to the [[Paris Air Show]] every other year and to Asia.{{sfn|Thompson|2004|pp=439–440}} Louise heard rumors of his affairs.{{sfn|Thompson|2004|p=405}} The publication of Tom Wolfe's 1979 book ''[[The Right Stuff (book)|The Right Stuff]]'' made them public knowledge but she never confronted him about it{{sfn|Thompson|2004|pp=452–453}} nor did she ever contemplate leaving him.{{sfn|Thompson|2004|pp=439–440}}

After Shepard left NASA, he served on the boards of many corporations. He also served as president of his [[umbrella company]] for several business enterprises, Seven Fourteen Enterprises, Inc. (named for his two flights, ''Freedom 7'' and Apollo 14).<ref name="astronautscholarship.org">{{cite web |url=http://astronautscholarship.org/Astronauts/alan-b-shepard-jr/ |title=Alan B. Shepard, Jr. |publisher=Astronaut Scholarship Foundation |access-date=August 15, 2013 |archive-date=March 4, 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160304084525/http://astronautscholarship.org/Astronauts/alan-b-shepard-jr/ |url-status=live }}</ref> He made a fortune in banking and real estate.{{sfn|Burgess|2014|p=240}} He was a [[fellow]] of the [[American Astronautical Society]] and the [[Society of Experimental Test Pilots]], a member of [[Rotary International|Rotary]], [[Kiwanis]], the [[Mayflower Society]], the [[Order of the Cincinnati]] and the American Fighter Aces, an honorary member of the board of directors for the Houston School for Deaf Children, and a [[Board of directors|director]] of the [[National Space Institute]] and the Los Angeles Ear Research Institute.<ref name="40th" /> In 1984, together with the other surviving Mercury astronauts and Betty Grissom, Gus Grissom's widow, Shepard founded the Mercury Seven Foundation, which raises money to provide college scholarships to science and engineering students. It was renamed the Astronaut Scholarship Foundation in 1995. Shepard was elected its first president and chairman, positions he held until October 1997, when he was succeeded by former astronaut Jim Lovell.<ref name="40th" />

In 1994, he published a book with two journalists, [[Jay Barbree]] and Howard Benedict, called ''[[Moon Shot: The Inside Story of America's Race to the Moon]]''. Fellow Mercury astronaut Deke Slayton is also named as an author. The book included a composite photograph showing Shepard hitting a golf ball on the Moon. There are no still images of this event, the only record is TV footage.<ref name="golf" /> The book was turned into a TV [[miniseries]] in 1994.<ref>{{cite news |title=TBS' 'Moon Shot' Rises Above Other TV Fare |first=Mike |last=Drew |url=http://www.deseretnews.com/article/364383/TBS-MOON-SHOT-RISES-ABOVE-OTHER-TV-FARE.html?pg=all |newspaper=[[Milwaukee Journal Sentinel|Milwaukee Journal]] |date=July 11, 1994 |access-date=August 15, 2013 |archive-date=June 29, 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170629113737/http://www.deseretnews.com/article/364383/TBS-MOON-SHOT-RISES-ABOVE-OTHER-TV-FARE.html?pg=all |url-status=dead }}</ref>

Shepard was diagnosed with [[chronic lymphocytic leukemia]] in 1996 and died from complications of the disease in [[Pebble Beach, California]], on July 21, 1998.<ref>{{cite news |last=Wilford |first=John Noble |date=July 23, 1998 |title=Alan B. Shepard Jr. Is Dead at 74; First American to Travel in Space |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1998/07/23/us/alan-b-shepard-jr-is-dead-at-74-first-american-to-travel-in-space.html |newspaper=[[The New York Times]] |access-date=March 7, 2016 |archive-date=August 14, 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170814063621/http://www.nytimes.com/1998/07/23/us/alan-b-shepard-jr-is-dead-at-74-first-american-to-travel-in-space.html |url-status=live }}</ref>{{sfn|Thompson|2004|p=462}}<ref name="The moon walkers" /> Following his death, President [[Bill Clinton]] issued a statement of condolences stating "he [Shepard] led our country and all humanity beyond the bounds of our planet, across a truly new frontier, into the new era of space exploration" and "his service will always loom large in America's history".<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.presidency.ucsb.edu/documents/remarks-signing-the-internal-revenue-service-restructuring-and-reform-act-1998|title=Remarks on Signing the Internal Revenue Service Restructuring and Reform Act of 1998|first=William J.|last=Clinton|author-link=Bill Clinton|newspaper=The American Presidency Project|date=July 22, 1998|access-date=August 29, 2024}}</ref> Shepard's widow Louise had planned to cremate his remains and scatter the ashes, but before she was able to do that, she died from a heart attack—on August 25, 1998, at 17:00, which, coincidentally, was the same time of day at which he had always phoned her when they were apart. They had been married for 53 years. Their family decided to cremate them both so their ashes were scattered, together, from a Navy helicopter over Stillwater Cove in front of their Pebble Beach home.{{sfn|Thompson|2004|pp=471–472}}<ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.chicagotribune.com/1998/08/27/louise-shepard-dies-a-month-after-her-astronaut-husband/ |newspaper=[[Chicago Tribune]] |date=August 27, 2016 |title=Louise Shepard Dies A Month After Her Astronaut Husband |access-date=April 22, 2022 |archive-date=March 20, 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160320152718/http://articles.chicagotribune.com/1998-08-27/news/9808280089_1_louise-shepard-alan-shepard-original-seven-astronauts |url-status=live }}</ref>

On December 11, 2021, twenty-three years after his death, Shepard's daughter, Laura Shepard Churchley, also flew in space (suborbitally, above the [[Karman line]]) aboard the non-NASA [[Blue Origin]]'s [[New Shepard]] spacecraft on the [[Blue Origin NS-19|NS-19]] mission.<ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.reuters.com/lifestyle/science/daughter-pioneering-astronaut-alan-shepard-set-blue-origin-spaceflight-2021-12-11/ |title=Daughter of pioneering astronaut Alan Shepard soars to space aboard Blue Origin rocket |first1=Joe |last1=Skipper |first2=Steve |last2=Gorman |publisher=Reuters |date=December 11, 2021 |access-date=December 11, 2021 |archive-date=December 11, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211211194637/https://www.reuters.com/lifestyle/science/daughter-pioneering-astronaut-alan-shepard-set-blue-origin-spaceflight-2021-12-11/ |url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |date=December 11, 2021 |title=Watch Live: Michael Strahan and the daughter of astronaut Alan Shepard launch to space with Blue Origin |url=https://www.cbsnews.com/live-updates/blue-origin-launch-space-michael-strahan-laura-shepard-churchley-watch-live-stream-today-2021-12-11/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211211124021/https://www.cbsnews.com/live-updates/blue-origin-launch-space-michael-strahan-laura-shepard-churchley-watch-live-stream-today-2021-12-11/ |archive-date=December 11, 2021 |access-date=December 11, 2021 |work=CBS News}}</ref>

==Awards and honors==
Shepard was awarded the [[Congressional Space Medal of Honor]] by President [[Jimmy Carter]] on October 1, 1978.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://history.nasa.gov/spacemedal.htm |title=Congressional Space Medal of Honor |publisher=National Aeronautics and Space Administration |access-date=March 7, 2016 |archive-date=February 20, 2011 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110220213828/http://history.nasa.gov/spacemedal.htm |url-status=live }}</ref> He also received the Golden Plate Award of the [[Academy of Achievement|American Academy of Achievement]] in 1981;<ref>{{cite web|title=Golden Plate Awardees of the American Academy of Achievement|website=www.achievement.org|publisher=[[American Academy of Achievement]]|url=https://www.achievement.org/our-history/golden-plate-awards/#science-exploration/|access-date=April 22, 2022|archive-date=December 12, 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171212193048/http://www.achievement.org/our-history/golden-plate-awards/#science-exploration/|url-status=live}}</ref> the [[Langley Gold Medal]] on May 5, 1964; the [[John J. Montgomery Award]] in 1963; the Lambert trophy; the [[Society of Experimental Test Pilots|SETP]] [[Iven C. Kincheloe Award]];<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/26948748/chicago_tribune/|title=Cooper the Cool jockeys Faith 7—between naps|last1=Wolfe|first1=Tom|newspaper=Chicago Tribune|date=October 25, 1979|page=22|via=Newspapers.com|ref=none|access-date=April 22, 2022|archive-date=January 7, 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190107124517/https://www.newspapers.com/clip/26948748/chicago_tribune/|url-status=live}}</ref> the [[Cabot Award]]; the [[Collier Trophy]];<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/26947987/chicago_tribune/|title=Astronauts Have Their Day at the White House|newspaper=Chicago Tribune|location=Chicago, Illinois|date=October 11, 1963|page=3|via=Newspapers.com|access-date=April 22, 2022|archive-date=January 7, 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190107124548/https://www.newspapers.com/clip/26947987/chicago_tribune/|url-status=live}}</ref> and the City of New York City Gold Medal for 1971.<ref name="40th" /> He was awarded honorary degrees of Master of Arts from [[Dartmouth College]] in 1962, [[Doctor of Science|D.Sc.]] from [[Miami University]] in 1971, and [[Doctor of Humane Letters|Doctorate of Humanities]] from [[Franklin Pierce University|Franklin Pierce College]] in 1972.<ref name="40th" /> He was inducted into the [[National Aviation Hall of Fame]] in 1977,<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.nationalaviation.org/enshrinees/ |title=National Aviation Hall of fame: Our Enshrinees |publisher=[[National Aviation Hall of Fame]] |access-date=February 10, 2011 |archive-date=March 12, 2011 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110312033710/http://www.nationalaviation.org/enshrinees/ |url-status=dead }}</ref> the [[New Mexico Museum of Space History|International Space Hall of Fame]] in 1981,<ref name="nmspacemuseum.org" /><ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/29986892/albuquerque_journal/|title=Hall to Induct Seven Space Pioneers|newspaper=Albuquerque Journal|location=Albuquerque, New Mexico|date=September 27, 1981|page=53|last1=Harbert|first1=Nancy|via=Newspapers.com|access-date=April 22, 2022|archive-date=March 27, 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190327223131/https://www.newspapers.com/clip/29986892/albuquerque_journal/|url-status=live}}</ref> and the [[U.S. Astronaut Hall of Fame]] on May 11, 1990.<ref name="astronautscholarship.org" /><ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/33222502/victoria_advocate/|title=Mercury Astronauts Dedicate Hall of Fame at Florida Site|newspaper=Victoria Advocate|location=Victoria, Texas|date=May 12, 1990|page=38|via=Newspapers.com|agency=Associated Press|access-date=April 22, 2022|archive-date=February 12, 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200212130559/https://www.newspapers.com/clip/33222502/victoria_advocate/|url-status=live}}</ref>

[[File:Alanshephardgrave.jpg|thumb|Shepard's memorial stone in [[Derry, New Hampshire|Derry]], New Hampshire. His ashes were scattered at sea.|alt=A stone memorial plaque that reads: "Love is Eternal – RADM Alan Bartlett Shepard Jr * US Navy * America's First man in Space 1998 – His loving wife Louise Brewer Shepard 1998" ]]
The Navy named a supply ship, {{USNS|Alan Shepard|T-AKE-3}}, for him in 2006.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.navy.mil/submit/display.asp?story_id=26927 |title=Navy Christens USNS Alan Shepard |date=December 7, 2006 |publisher=United States Navy |access-date=March 7, 2016 |archive-date=August 13, 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170813232003/http://www.navy.mil/submit/display.asp?story_id=26927 |url-status=dead }}</ref> The [[McAuliffe-Shepard Discovery Center]] in [[Concord, New Hampshire|Concord]], New Hampshire, is named after Shepard and [[Christa McAuliffe]].<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.starhop.com/about-us/ |title=McAuliffe-Shepard Discovery Center: About Us |publisher=[[McAuliffe-Shepard Discovery Center]] |access-date=March 7, 2016 |archive-date=October 18, 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161018131513/http://www.starhop.com/about-us/ |url-status=dead }}</ref> In 1996, the entirety of I-565 (which passes in front of the [[U.S. Space & Rocket Center]], home to both the [[Saturn V Dynamic Test Vehicle]] and a full-scale vertical Saturn V replica) was designated the "Admiral Alan B. Shepard Highway" in his honor.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.al.com/times-views/2012/01/city_leaders_should_find_a_way.html |title=City leaders should find a way to honor Huntsville-born civil rights leader Joseph Lowery (editorial) |date=January 10, 2012 |publisher=[[al.com]] |access-date=April 2, 2019 |archive-date=April 2, 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190402133946/https://www.al.com/times-views/2012/01/city_leaders_should_find_a_way.html |url-status=live }}</ref> [[Interstate 93]] in New Hampshire, from the [[Massachusetts]] border to [[Hooksett, New Hampshire|Hooksett]], is designated the Alan B. Shepard Highway,<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.bostonroads.com/roads/I-93S_NH/|title=Alan B Shepard Highway (I-93)|access-date=September 25, 2014|archive-date=November 30, 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171130125800/http://www.bostonroads.com/roads/I-93S_NH/|url-status=live}}</ref> and in [[Hampton, Virginia]], a road is named Commander Shepard Boulevard in his honor.<ref>{{cite news |title=Commander Shepard Boulevard opens to motorists |url=https://www.dailypress.com/2014/01/16/commander-shepard-boulevard-opens-to-motorists/ |newspaper=Daily Press |date=January 16, 2014|first=Robert |last=Brauchle |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170228081511/http://articles.dailypress.com/2014-01-16/news/dp-nws-commander-shepard-opening-ceremony-20140116_1_saunders-road-hampton-roads-center-north-commander-shepard-boulevard |archive-date=February 28, 2017}}</ref> His hometown of Derry has the nickname Space Town in honor of his career as an astronaut.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.newhampshire.com/nh-towns/derry.aspx |title=Derry, NH |publisher=Union Leader Corp. |access-date=August 24, 2010 |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20100830020437/http://www.newhampshire.com/nh-towns/derry.aspx |archive-date=August 30, 2010}}</ref> Following an act of Congress, the post office in Derry was designated the Alan B. Shepard Jr. Post Office Building.<ref name=hr4517>{{cite web|url=http://thomas.loc.gov/cgi-bin/query/z?c106:H.R.4517.ENR: |title=H.R.4517 |publisher=[[Library of Congress]] |access-date=May 29, 2007 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130818025233/http://thomas.loc.gov/cgi-bin/query/z?c106%3AH.R.4517.ENR%3A |archive-date=August 18, 2013 |url-status=dead }}</ref> Alan Shepard Park in [[Cocoa Beach, Florida]], a beach-side park south of Cape Canaveral, is named in his honor.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.fodors.com/world/north-america/usa/florida/northeast-coast/review-575901.html |title=Cocoa Beach Review |publisher=[[Fodor's]] |access-date=August 15, 2013 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140729151403/http://www.fodors.com/world/north-america/usa/florida/northeast-coast/review-575901.html |archive-date=July 29, 2014 |url-status=dead }}</ref> The City of Virginia Beach renamed its convention center, with its integral [[geodesic dome]], the ''Alan B. Shepard Convention Center''. The building was later renamed the ''Alan B. Shepard Civic Center'', and was razed in 1994.<ref name="dome">{{cite news |title = Sorry, Alan – this golf ball always will be 'The Dome' | newspaper = The Virginian Pilot |first = Richard |last = Quinn |date = December 16, 2007 |url = http://pilotonline.com/news/sorry-alan-this-golf-ball-always-will-be-the-dome/article_a7d04459-394c-59f1-8d73-623ab52bb7e5.html |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190204174552/https://pilotonline.com/news/sorry-alan-this-golf-ball-always-will-be-the-dome/article_a7d04459-394c-59f1-8d73-623ab52bb7e5.html |archive-date=February 4, 2019 }}</ref> At the time of the ''Freedom 7'' launch, Shepard lived in Virginia Beach.<ref name="residence">{{cite web |title = Alan Shepard, 1st American in Space, Honored on 50-Year Anniversary |publisher = Fox News Channel |date = May 5, 2011 |url = https://www.foxnews.com/science/alan-shepard-1st-american-in-space-honored-on-50-year-anniversary |access-date = April 22, 2022 |archive-date = August 13, 2017 |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20170813225407/http://www.foxnews.com/tech/2011/05/05/stamp-honors-1st-american-space-50-years-later.html |url-status = live }}</ref>

Shepard's high school alma mater in Derry, Pinkerton Academy, has a building named after him, and the school team is called the Astros after his career as an astronaut.<ref name="shepard">{{cite web |url=https://history.nasa.gov/40thmerc7/shepard.htm |title=Alan B. Shepard, Jr. |access-date=December 29, 2006 |last=Gray |first=Tara |work=40th Anniversary of the Mercury 7 |publisher=National Aeronautics and Space Administration History Program Office |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20061208175108/https://history.nasa.gov/40thmerc7/shepard.htm |archive-date=December 8, 2006 |url-status=dead }}</ref> [[Alan B. Shepard High School]], in [[Palos Heights, Illinois]], which opened in 1976, was named in his honor. Framed newspapers throughout the school depict various accomplishments and milestones in Shepard's life. Additionally, an autographed plaque commemorates the dedication of the building. The school newspaper is named ''Freedom 7'' and the yearbook is entitled ''Odyssey''.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://chsd218.shepard.schoolfusion.us/pages.phtml?&&pageid=98517& |publisher=Alan B. Shepard High School |title=About Us |access-date=March 7, 2016 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161106151058/http://chsd218.shepard.schoolfusion.us/pages.phtml?&&pageid=98517& |archive-date=November 6, 2016 }}</ref> [[Blue Origin]]'s suborbital space tourism rocket, the [[New Shepard]], is named after Shepard.<ref>{{cite news |url=http://www.smh.com.au/technology/sci-tech/holy-grail-of-rocketry-achieved-says-amazon-and-blue-origin-boss-jeff-bezos-20151124-gl7aqm.html |title='Holy Grail of rocketry' achieved, says Amazon and Blue Origin boss Jeff Bezos |first=Dominic |last=Gates |date=November 25, 2016 |newspaper=[[The Sydney Morning Herald]] |access-date=March 27, 2017 |archive-date=August 14, 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170814170811/http://www.smh.com.au/technology/sci-tech/holy-grail-of-rocketry-achieved-says-amazon-and-blue-origin-boss-jeff-bezos-20151124-gl7aqm.html |url-status=live }}</ref>

In a 2010 [[Space Foundation]] survey, Shepard was ranked as the ninth most popular space hero (tied with astronauts [[Buzz Aldrin]] and Gus Grissom).<ref>{{cite press release |title=Space Foundation Survey Reveals Broad Range of Space Heroes; Early Astronauts Still the Most Inspirational |date=October 27, 2010 |publisher=[[Space Foundation]] |location=Colorado Springs, Colorado |url=http://www.spacefoundation.org/news/story.php?id=1038 |access-date=August 15, 2013 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120723031011/http://www.spacefoundation.org/media/press-releases/space-foundation-survey-reveals-broad-range-space-heroes-early-astronauts-still?id=1038 |archive-date=July 23, 2012 }}</ref> In 2011, NASA honored Shepard with an Ambassador of Exploration Award, consisting of a [[Moon rock]] encased in [[Poly(methyl methacrylate)|Lucite]], for his contributions to the U.S. space program. His family members accepted the award on his behalf during a ceremony on April 28 at the [[United States Naval Academy Museum]] in [[Annapolis, Maryland]], where it is on permanent display.<ref>{{cite press release |last=Mirelson |first=Doc |title=NASA Honors Pioneer Astronaut Alan Shepard With Moon Rock |date=April 19, 2011 |publisher=National Aeronautics and Space Administration |location=Washington, D.C. |id=Media Advisory: M11-077 |url=http://www.nasa.gov/home/hqnews/2011/apr/HQ_M11-077_Shepard_Ambassador.txt |access-date=August 15, 2013 |archive-date=April 8, 2013 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130408100734/http://www.nasa.gov/home/hqnews/2011/apr/HQ_M11-077_Shepard_Ambassador.txt |url-status=live }}</ref> On May 4, 2011, the [[United States Postal Service|U.S. Postal Service]] issued a first-class stamp in Shepard's honor, the first U.S. stamp to depict a specific astronaut. The first day of issue ceremony was held at NASA's [[Kennedy Space Center Visitor Complex]].<ref>{{cite news |title=New U.S. Stamps Honor Astronaut Alan Shepard and Mission to Mercury |first=Robert Z. |last=Pearlman |author-link=Robert Pearlman |url=http://www.space.com/11565-nasa-stamps-alan-shepard-mercury-spacecraft.html |work=[[Space.com]] |publisher=[[TechMediaNetwork|TechMedia Network]] |location=Ogden, Utah |date=May 4, 2011 |access-date=August 15, 2013 |archive-date=August 14, 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170814060447/https://www.space.com/11565-nasa-stamps-alan-shepard-mercury-spacecraft.html |url-status=live }}</ref>

Each year, the Space Foundation, in partnership with the Astronauts Memorial Foundation and NASA, present the [[Space Foundation#Space Foundation Awards: Alan Shepard Technology in Education Award|Alan Shepard Technology in Education Award]] for outstanding contributions by K–12 educators or district-level administrators to educational technology. The award recognizes excellence in the development and application of technology in the classroom or to the professional development of teachers. The recipient demonstrates exemplary use of technology either to foster lifelong learners or to make the learning process easier.<ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.discoverspace.org/education/educators/education-awards |title=Alan Shepard Technology in Education Award |newspaper=Space Foundation Discovery Center |publisher=Space Foundation |access-date=February 21, 2017 |archive-date=August 13, 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170813230436/https://www.discoverspace.org/education/educators/education-awards |url-status=live }}</ref>
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|{{ribbon devices|number=0|type=service-star|ribbon=Navy Distinguished Service ribbon.svg|width=103}}
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|{{Ribbon devices|number=0|type=award-star|ribbon=NASA Distinguished Service Medal (Old pattern).JPG||width=103}}
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|{{Ribbon devices|number=4|type=service-star|ribbon=Asiatic-Pacific Campaign ribbon.svg|width=103}}
|{{Ribbon devices|number=0|type=service-star|ribbon=American Campaign Medal ribbon.svg|width=103}}
|{{Ribbon devices|number=0|type=service-star|ribbon=American Defense Service ribbon.svg|width=103}}
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|{{Ribbon devices|number=0|type=service-star|ribbon=European-African-Middle Eastern Campaign ribbon.svg|width=103}}
|{{Ribbon devices|number=0|type=service-star|ribbon=World War II Victory Medal ribbon.svg|width=103}}
|{{Ribbon devices|number=0|type=service-star|ribbon=Army of Occupation ribbon.svg|width=103}}
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|{{Ribbon devices|number=0|type=service-star|ribbon=National Defense Service Medal ribbon.svg|width=103}}
|{{Ribbon devices|number=0|type=service-star|ribbon=Korean Service Medal - Ribbon.svg|width=103}}
|{{Ribbon devices|number=0|type=service-star|ribbon=United Nations Korea Medal ribbon.svg|width=103}}
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|{{Ribbon devices|number=0|type=service-star|ribbon=Philippine Defense ribbon.png|width=103}}
|{{Ribbon devices|number=2|type=service-star|ribbon=Phliber rib.png|width=103}}
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{|class="wikitable"
|colspan=3 align=center|[[Astronaut Badge#U.S. Navy, Marine Corps, and Coast Guard astronauts|Navy Astronaut Wings]]<ref name="usn">{{cite web |url=https://www.history.navy.mil/research/histories/biographies-list/bios-s/shepherd-alan/Shepard-Alan-Text.html |title=Alan Bartlett Shepard, Jr. |publisher=Naval History and Heritage Command |access-date=March 7, 2016 }}</ref>
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|[[Distinguished Service Medal (US Navy)|Navy Distinguished Service Medal]]<ref name="valor" />
|[[Distinguished Flying Cross (United States)|Distinguished Flying Cross]]<ref name="valor" />
|[[Congressional Space Medal of Honor]]<ref name="40th" />
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|[[NASA Distinguished Service Medal]] (Old pattern)<ref name="40th" /><ref name="NASA medals" />
|[[Presidential Unit Citation (United States)|Presidential Unit Citation]]<ref name="otd" />
|[[NASA Distinguished Service Medal]]<ref name="40th" />
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|[[Asiatic-Pacific Campaign Medal]] with four [[service star|stars]]<ref name="otd">{{cite web |url=http://static.thisdayinaviation.com/wp-content/uploads/tdia/2014/07/Shepard_Alan_Bartlett_Jr.jpg |publisher=This Day in Aviation |title=Alan Shepard Archives |access-date=March 7, 2016 }}</ref>
|[[American Campaign Medal]]<ref name="usn" />
|[[American Defense Service Medal]]<ref name="usn" />
|-
|[[European-African-Middle Eastern Campaign Medal]]<ref name="otd" />
|[[World War II Victory Medal (United States)|World War II Victory Medal]]<ref name="usn" />
|[[Navy Occupation Service Medal]]<ref name="otd" />
|-
|[[National Defense Service Medal]]<ref name="otd" />
|[[Korean Service Medal]]<ref name="usn" />
|[[United Nations Korea Medal]]<ref name="usn" />
|-
|[[Philippine Defense Medal]]<ref name="otd" />
|[[Philippine Liberation Medal]] with two stars<ref name="usn" />
|[[Marksmanship Ribbon|Navy Rifle Marksmanship Ribbon]]<ref name="otd" />
|}
</center>
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-->

==In popular culture==
As he was a key figure in the American space program, Shepard's life has been depicted in many biographical and historical works of fiction. In film, Shepard's selection for the Mercury program was covered in 1983's ''[[The Right Stuff (film)|The Right Stuff]]'' (where he was played by [[Scott Glenn]]),<ref>{{cite news |last=Benson |first=Sheila |date=December 8, 2016 |title=From the Archives Our original film review of 'The Right Stuff' holds clues for John Glenn's path to senator |newspaper=Los Angeles Times |url=http://www.latimes.com/entertainment/movies/la-et-mn-archives-the-right-stuff-review-john-glenn-20161208-story.html |url-status=live |access-date=September 12, 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170813144845/http://www.latimes.com/entertainment/movies/la-et-mn-archives-the-right-stuff-review-john-glenn-20161208-story.html |archive-date=August 13, 2017}}</ref> while 2002's ''[[Race to Space]]'' and 2016's ''[[Hidden Figures]]'' feature him in a minor role, played by [[Mark Moses]],<ref>{{cite web |title=Mark Moses &#124; 1958 |url=http://www.hollywood.com/celebrities/mark-moses-57253830/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170912012027/http://www.hollywood.com/celebrities/mark-moses-57253830/ |archive-date=September 12, 2017 |access-date=September 12, 2017 |website=Hollywood.com|date=February 7, 2015 }}</ref> and Dane Davenport, respectively.<ref>{{cite web |title=Dane Davenport &#124; Biography and Filmography |url=http://www.hollywood.com/celebrities/dane-davenport-57805825/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170912055152/http://www.hollywood.com/celebrities/dane-davenport-57805825/ |archive-date=September 12, 2017 |access-date=September 12, 2017 |website=Hollywood.com}}</ref> The [[HBO]] [[miniseries]] ''[[From the Earth to the Moon (miniseries)|From the Earth to the Moon]]''  starred [[Ted Levine]] as Shepard and covered not only his Mercury training but also his involvement in the Apollo missions.<ref>{{cite news |last=Richmond |first=Ray |date=March 31, 1998 |title=Review: 'From the Earth to the Moon' |newspaper=Variety |url=https://variety.com/1998/film/reviews/from-the-earth-to-the-moon-2-1200453500/ |url-status=live |access-date=September 12, 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180825002419/https://variety.com/1998/film/reviews/from-the-earth-to-the-moon-2-1200453500/ |archive-date=August 25, 2018}}</ref> [[Jake McDorman]] played Shepard in the 2020 TV adaptation of ''[[The Right Stuff (TV series)|The Right Stuff]]'',<ref>{{cite news |last=Iannucci |first=Rebecca |date=June 14, 2019 |title=The Right Stuff: Jake McDorman, GoT Alum Board Nat Geo's NASA Series |newspaper=TV Line |url=https://tvline.com/2019/06/14/the-right-stuff-jake-mcdorman-joe-dempsie-nat-geo-series-cast/ |url-status=live |access-date=June 16, 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201115205206/https://tvline.com/2019/06/14/the-right-stuff-jake-mcdorman-joe-dempsie-nat-geo-series-cast/ |archive-date=November 15, 2020}}</ref> while [[Desmond Harrington]] played him in the 2015 period drama ''[[The Astronaut Wives Club]]''.<ref>{{cite news |last=Ausiello |first=Michael |date=March 19, 2014 |title=ABC's Astronaut Wives Club Casts Dexter's Desmond Harrington as Alan Shepherd |newspaper=TV Line |url=http://tvline.com/2014/03/19/the-astronaut-wives-club-cast-desmond-harrington-abc-series/ |url-status=live |access-date=March 24, 2014 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140323091441/http://tvline.com/2014/03/19/the-astronaut-wives-club-cast-desmond-harrington-abc-series/ |archive-date=March 23, 2014}}</ref>

Archive footage of Shepard is used in the opening credits montage of ''[[Star Trek: Enterprise]]'',as part of a sequence displaying the history of human exploration,{{sfn|Geraghty|2007|p=140}}  while other science fiction works have named characters in a tribute to Shepard – including both the character of [[Alan Tracy]], in the 1960s British series ''[[Thunderbirds (TV series)|Thunderbirds]]'',{{sfn|Marriott|1992|p=23}} and [[Commander Shepard]], the main protagonist of the 2007–2012 [[BioWare]] video game series ''[[Mass Effect]]''.<ref name="Hudson Interview">{{cite magazine |author=Hanson |first=Ben |date=April 27, 2011 |title=Casey Hudson Interview: Mass Effect's Feedback Loop |url=https://www.gameinformer.com/b/features/archive/2011/04/27/casey-hudson-interview-mass-effect-s-feedback-loop.aspx |url-status=live |archive-url=https://archive.today/20120731070232/http://www.gameinformer.com/b/features/archive/2011/04/27/casey-hudson-interview-mass-effect-s-feedback-loop.aspx |archive-date=July 31, 2012 |access-date=May 1, 2013 |magazine=[[Game Informer]]}}</ref>

British singer-songwriter [[Darren Hayman]]'s [[concept album]] ''12 Astronauts'' includes a song for each man who has walked on the Moon. The lyrics of ''Don't Clip My Wings (Alan Shepard)'', sung in the first person, reflect on how Shepard "feared he would never fly again" after his Ménière's diagnosis.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Don't Clip My Wings (Alan Sheppard), by Darren Hayman |url=https://wiaiwya.bandcamp.com/track/dont-clip-my-wings-alan-sheppard |access-date=September 5, 2023 |website=wiaiwya |archive-date=September 5, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230905120153/https://wiaiwya.bandcamp.com/track/dont-clip-my-wings-alan-sheppard |url-status=live }}</ref>

"Shepard's Prayer" is attributed to Shepard, with the phrase supposed to have been uttered by him while he awaited liftoff aboard the ''Freedom 7''. It is usually quoted as "Dear Lord, please don't let me fuck up", although Shepard claimed the words to be "Don't fuck up, Shepard".<ref>{{cite magazine |url=https://www.wired.com/2011/05/50-years-of-americans-in-space-remembering-alan-shepard/ |access-date=November 6, 2018 |title=50 Years of Americans in Space: Remembering Alan Shepard |magazine=WIRED |first=Jason |last=Cranford Teague |date=May 5, 2011 |archive-date=May 19, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230519012537/https://www.wired.com/2011/05/50-years-of-americans-in-space-remembering-alan-shepard/ |url-status=live }}</ref>

Alan Shepard was featured in the 1982 EPCOT Center: The Opening Celebration to celebrate the opening of [[EPCOT Center]] in the Walt Disney World Resort. He was a guest alongside [[Danny Kaye]] and [[Drew Barrymore]].<ref>{{cite web |last=Scrimgeour |first=Francesca |date=October 1, 2022 |title=We've Just Begun to Dream! |url=https://d23.com/weve-just-begun-to-dream/ |access-date=22 August 2024 |publisher=Walt Disney Archives}}</ref>

==Notes==
{{Reflist|30em}}

==References==
{{Refbegin|30em}}
* {{cite book |last1=Atkinson |first1=Joseph D. |last2=Shafritz |first2=Jay M. |title=The Real Stuff: A History of NASA's Astronaut Recruitment Program |location=New York |publisher=Praeger |series=Praeger special studies |year=1985 |isbn=978-0-03-005187-6 |oclc=12052375}}
* {{cite book |last=Burgess |first=Colin |author-link=Colin Burgess (author) |title=Selecting the Mercury Seven: The Search for America's First Astronauts |location=New York; London |publisher=Springer |year=2011 |series=Springer-Praxis books in space exploration |isbn=978-1-4419-8405-0 |oclc=747105631}}
* {{cite book |last=Burgess |first=Colin |title=Moon Bound: Choosing and Preparing NASA's Lunar Astronauts |location=New York; London |publisher=Springer |year=2013 |series=Springer-Praxis books in space exploration |isbn=978-1-4614-3854-0 |oclc=905162781}}
* {{cite book |last=Burgess |first=Colin |title=Freedom 7: The Historic Flight of Alan B. Shepard Jr. |location=New York; London |publisher=Springer |year=2014 |series=Springer-Praxis books in space exploration |isbn=978-3-319-01155-4 |oclc=902685533}}
* {{cite book |last1=Carpenter |first1=M. Scott |author-link1=Scott Carpenter |last2=Cooper |first2=L. Gordon Jr. |author-link2=Gordon Cooper |last3=Glenn |first3=John H. Jr. |author-link3=John Glenn |last4=Grissom |first4=Virgil I. |author-link4=Gus Grissom |last5=Schirra|first5=Walter M. Jr. |author-link5=Wally Schirra |last6=Shepard |first6=Alan B. <!-- |author-link6=Alan Shepard --> |last7=Slayton |first7=Donald K. |author-link7=Deke Slayton |title=We Seven: By the Astronauts Themselves |url=https://archive.org/details/wesevencarp00carp |url-access=registration |orig-year=Originally published 1962 |year=2010 |publisher=Simon & Schuster Paperbacks |location=New York |isbn=978-1-4391-8103-4 |oclc=429024791 |lccn=62019074 |ref=CITEREFShepard et al.2010}}
* {{cite book |last=Geraghty |first=Lincoln |title=Living with Star Trek: American culture and the Star Trek universe |publisher=I.B. Tauris |location=London |year=2007 |isbn=978-1-84511-421-3 |oclc=74525330}}
* {{cite book |last1=Glenn |first1=John |author-link=John Glenn |last2=Taylor |first2=Nick |title=John Glenn: A Memoir |location=New York |publisher=Bantam Books |year=1985 |isbn=978-0-553-11074-6 |oclc=42290245}}
* {{cite book |last1=Hacker |first1=Barton C. |last2=Grimwood |first2=James M. |year=1977 |title=On the Shoulders of Titans: A History of Project Gemini |id=SP-4203 |publisher=National Aeronautics and Space Administration |location=Washington, D.C. |url=https://ntrs.nasa.gov/archive/nasa/casi.ntrs.nasa.gov/19780012208_1978012208.pdf |access-date=March 15, 2017 |archive-date=September 27, 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200927235220/https://ntrs.nasa.gov/archive/nasa/casi.ntrs.nasa.gov/19780012208_1978012208.pdf |url-status=live}}
* {{cite book |last=Kranz |first=Gene |author-link=Gene Kranz |title=Failure Is Not an Option: Mission Control from Mercury to Apollo 13 and Beyond |title-link=Failure Is Not an Option |date=2000 |publisher=Simon & Schuster |location=New York |isbn=0-7432-0079-9 |lccn=00027720 |oclc=43590801}}
* {{cite book |last=Marriott |first=John |title=Thunderbirds Are Go! |date=1992 |publisher=Macmillan Publishers |location=London |isbn=1-85283-164-2 |oclc=27642248}}
* {{cite book |author=Naval Test Pilot School |title=United States Naval Test Pilot School: Historical Narrative and Class Information, 1945 to 1983 |year=1984 |edition=2nd |publisher=Fishergate |location=Annapolis, Maryland |oclc=11680836}}
* {{cite book |last=Shayler |first=David |title=Gemini: Steps to the Moon |series=Springer-Praxis books in astronomy and space sciences |location=London |publisher=Springer |year=2001 |isbn=978-1-85233-405-5 |oclc=248213555}}
* {{cite book |last1=Shepard |first1=Alan B. |last2=Slayton |first2=Donald K. |author-link2=Deke Slayton |last3=Barbree |first3=Jay |author-link3=Jay Barbree |last4=Benedict |first4=Howard |title=Moon Shot: The Inside Story of America's Race to the Moon |title-link=Moon Shot |date=1994 |publisher=Turner Publishing Company |location=Atlanta |isbn=1-878685-54-6 |oclc=29846731 |lccn=94003027 |ref=CITEREFShepard & Slayton1994}}
* {{cite book |last1=Slayton |first1=Donald K. |author-link=Deke Slayton |last2=Cassutt |first2=Michael |author-link2=Michael Cassutt |title=Deke!: U.S. Manned Space: From Mercury to the Shuttle |year=1994 |publisher=Forge |location=New York |isbn=0-312-85503-6 |oclc=29845663 |lccn=94002463 |url=https://archive.org/details/dekeusmannedspac00slay}}
* {{cite book |last1=Swenson  |first1=Loyd S. Jr. |first2=James M. |last2=Grimwood |first3=Charles C. |last3=Alexander |title=This New Ocean: A History of Project Mercury |url=http://www.hq.nasa.gov/office/pao/History/SP-4201/cover.htm |access-date=June 28, 2007 |series=The NASA History Series |year=1966 |publisher=National Aeronautics and Space Administration |location=Washington, DC |oclc=569889 |id=NASA SP-4201 |archive-date=June 17, 2010 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100617075825/http://www.hq.nasa.gov/office/pao/History/SP-4201/cover.htm |url-status=dead}}
* {{cite book |last=Thompson |first=Neal |author-link=Neal Thompson |title=Light This Candle: The Life & Times of Alan Shepard, America's First Spaceman |edition=1st |date=2004 |publisher=Crown Publishers |location=New York |isbn=0-609-61001-5 |oclc=52631310 |lccn=2003015688 |url=https://archive.org/details/lightthiscandlel00thom}}
* {{cite book |last=Wolfe |first=Tom |author-link=Tom Wolfe |title=The Right Stuff |title-link=The Right Stuff (book) |location=New York |year=1979 |publisher=Farrar, Straus, and Giroux |isbn=978-0-553-27556-8 |oclc=849889526}}
{{Refend}}

==External links==
{{Commons category|Alan Shepard}}
{{Wikiquote}}
* {{cite web|url=http://www.life.com/image/first/in-gallery/23094/alan-shepard-1st-american-in-space |title=Alan Shepard: 1st American in Space |access-date=May 6, 2010 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100527185932/http://www.life.com/image/first/in-gallery/23094/alan-shepard-1st-american-in-space |archive-date=May 27, 2010 }} – slideshow by ''[[Life (magazine)|Life]]'' magazine
* {{IMDb name|0791593}}
* {{C-SPAN|36129}}
* {{cite web |url = https://www.c-span.org/video/?182237-1/light-candle-alan-shepard |title=Presentation by Neal Thompson on ''Light This Candle: The Life and Times of Alan Shepard'' |date=May 26, 2004 |publisher=[[C-SPAN]] |access-date=August 21, 2017 }}
* {{cite video |url=https://www.c-span.org/video/?291540-1/alan-shepard-oral-history-interview |title=Oral history interview with Shepard for the Johnson Space Center's History Office, February 20, 1998}}
* {{cite video |url=https://www.c-span.org/video/?109134-1/reaction-death-alan-shepard |title=Remarks by Sen. John Glenn on the death of Alan Shepard, July 22, 1998 |publisher=[[C-SPAN]] }}
* {{cite video |url=https://www.c-span.org/video/?109504-1/alan-shepard-memorial-service |title=Alan Shepard Memorial Service, August 1, 1998 |publisher=[[C-SPAN]] }}
* {{cite web|title= Admiral Alan B. Shepard, Jr., USN, Biography and Interview |website=www.achievement.org|publisher=[[American Academy of Achievement]]|url=https://achievement.org/achiever/admiral-alan-shepard-jr/}}

{{S-start}}
{{S-bef|before=Office created
''(informally: [[Deke Slayton]])''}}
{{S-ttl|title=[[Chief of the Astronaut Office]]
|years=1963–1974}}
{{S-aft|after=[[John Young (astronaut)|John W. Young]]}}
{{s-before | before=[[Yuri Gagarin]]}}
{{s-ttl | title=[[List of human spaceflight programs|Man in Space]] | years=May 5, 1961}}
{{s-after | after=[[Gus Grissom]]}}
{{s-before | before=[[Alan Bean]]}}
{{s-ttl | title=[[List of Apollo astronauts#Apollo astronauts who walked on the Moon|Moonwalker]] | years= February 5, 1971}}
{{s-after | after=[[Edgar Mitchell]]}}
{{s-end}}

{{People who have traveled to the Moon|state=expanded}}
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