People gathered around Huntsville’s courthouse to celebrate the landmark spaceflight of the first American astronaut, Alan Shepard, in orbit on May 5, 1961.
An American rocketed into space for the first time 53 years ago today. The launch of the Mercury-Redstone (MR-3), Freedom 7, placed the first American astronaut, Alan Shepard, in orbit on May 5, 1961. The Mercury-Redstone was built and tested at NASA’s Marshall Space Flight Center in Huntsville, Ala. People gathered around Huntsville’s courthouse to celebrate the landmark spaceflight. The launch vehicle was based on the Redstone rocket developed by the Army and famous for launching the first American satellite, Explorer I, into orbit in 1958.
Image credit: NASA
