#OnThisDay Monday 5th May 2014 - Astronaut Alan Shepard became the first American in space today in 1961...
May 05, 2014, 01:22 PM
The space race hots up! The #OnThisDay take on the anniversary of the first American astronaut in space on this day in 1961, following the Russian attempts made by Gagarin and a host of dogs and other animals. Alan Shepard piloted the USA Freedom 7 mission and made a fifteen minute suborbital flight after being launched by a Redstone rocket, which was seen by millions live on television.
'On This Day...Monday 5th May 2014' performed by Mark Earby, Geoff Motley and Richard Usher. Written, edited and produced by Richard Usher
'On This Day...Monday 5th May 2014' © Larynx Productions and Richard Usher 2014