50th anniversary of U.S.'s first human spaceflight honored Published May 19, 2011 By Auburn Davis PATRICK AIR FORCE BASE, Fla. -- Cape Canaveral Air Force Station hosted a celebration of the 50th anniversary of the first American in space here May 4. The event honored Alan B. Shepard Jr., who piloted the 15-minute, 23-second suborbital flight at 303 statute miles in the Freedom 7 spacecraft May 5, 1961. Mercury astronaut Scott Carpenter and members of the Shepard family joined more than 150 Project Mercury workers, former astronauts, military and NASA leaders at the original launch pad on which the Freedom 7 rocket stood. The success of the launch made Mr. Shepard the first American to travel into space, an achievement that opened a door to space travel. That achievement was made possible by the combined efforts of the U.S. military and NASA, said Lt. Gen. Susan Helms, the 14th Air Force commander and former astronaut. "The military has played an important part in our human space flight program from the beginning," General Helms said. "Of the seven original astronauts, all had a military background." Besides astronauts, the military helped drive the space program in other ways, the general said. First, the rocket was a product of the Army Ballistic Missile Agency that merged with NASA. Second, the Navy helped train Mr. Shepard and was responsible for recovering him when he splashed down. Third, Air Force was responsible for the operation of the range and the safety of millions of people as the rocket flew downrange. Finally, NASA provided the leadership and vision to bring all of the elements and groups together. The Air Force continues to take part in all of NASA¹s shuttle missions, as well as milestone Air Force and commercial launches
