OtterKnow Kids EncyclopediaAlan Shepard was the very first American to fly into space! His flight showed the whole world that people could travel to space and return safely. He proved that exploring space could be a grand, fun adventure!
Alan made his historic trip to space in a small spacecraft named Freedom 7 in 1961. Later, he became the fifth person to walk on the Moon during the Apollo 14 mission! While he was on the Moon, he even brought a special golf club and hit two golf balls across the dusty surface. He wanted to show kids everywhere how far things can fly where there is much less gravity!
- Alan Shepard is the only person to ever play golf on the Moon!
- His first space flight lasted only about 15 minutes, but it made him a national hero.
- He was picked from over 100 test pilots to become one of America’s first seven astronauts!
