Evening star., 1961-05-05
Full Poss Of Pictures. Pose All


Atlantic 297 miles south of here. He and his capsule
picked up almost instantly by circng helicopter
and taken to the aircraft carrier Lake Champlan
Aboard the recovery ship doctors who examined Comdr
Shepard said he in excellent physical condition" and
ne spirits less than hour after he returned to earth.
On landing the ocean, Comdr Shepard elected to
the space capsule and climb into what described
collar to be lifted in the hecoper Then the space
capsule picked up by the hecoper for the trip
back to the Lake Champlain.
corndr. Shepard had the option of remaining inside
the capsule until it landed the carrier but chose not to
do
115Gie Height Reached
The National Aeronautics and Space Administration
nounced at II 08 m. (EDT:
The Project Mercury spacecra carrying Alan B.
Shepard the Nations first manned flight landed
in the Atlantic Ocean about 302 statute miles from here about
s49 ES. The craft reached altitude about lis statute
uborbita flight the Mercury Redstone III required is
minutes The preliminary data indicates that the pilot
formed satisfactorily during the flight"
These figures indicated that the project went off smoothly
anyone could have wished 1t planned for maximum
altitude of lis miles, Of 290 miles, and speed OF
about 5000 miles hour
the shot set no records for the space age todays
performance having been by the Russian space
flight Of month comdr shepards brief incuron into
space gave this counyS efforts needed shot in the arm
Calls Earth Beautiful
The 37-year-od astronauts good condition was evident
throughout the flight when Comdr Shepard reported such
things as:
He radoed back that he could see the outline of the
entire East Coast of the United States.
was ok"
crewmen of the Lake champain told not to speak
to the astronaut Doctors and psychologists want him to tell
his story without having colored by ideas conveyed to him
his return
The purpose Of todays flight determine
perform useful chores in space.
Comdr Shepard proved concusively it could be done
He reported constantly throughout the flight that he
able tasks pushing buttons
and operating manual controls.
All the through he told the control center at Cape
Canaveral by radio that everything was okay.
Reported Factual Data
During the flight Mercury officials said that Comdr.
Shepard reporting facts and figures just test pilot
would
Astronaut Shepard his back strapped to bergass
couch specially nodded to the contours of his body and made
to help him withstand the rigors of the flight. .
Before him three consoles Of instruments perscope
the earth and control lever to execute three simple
movements with the 9-by-6-foot bel-Shaped capsule.
Comdr Shepard had entered his cabin at 61S He
remained there four hours S minutes during countdown that
Comdr Shepard was blasted off atop 33ton 83oot Red
stone rocket considerably modified but of the general
type used the first American launch
ing. that of Explorer on January 81, 1858.
Powered by alcohol and liquid oxygen, the RedStone in
flight develops $4,000 pounds of thrust for nearly 22 minutes
Not of OrbitaI Power
Although Redstone capable Of generating about
much heavy Navy cruiser is not capable of
, Union in the flight of Maj. Gagarin
AS it the Redsone shepard capsule itself
appeared black Its Freedom u painted the side
Beneath it, in vivid contrast the stark whteness of the
rocket.
register marks in the miles motion picture
film that would be taken in the first couple after
launching
half of the rockets surface by
which had CONCEALED its outside owing the cold of the
liquid oxygen the rocket contained always with liquid
oxygenoaded rockets this frost shaken off the first
violent seconds of ascent
j Legislators Arrive
AS the coundown progressed busload of congressional
visitors arrived at the Mercury control center They taken
inside TO witness the coundown and launching from glass
incosed overlooking the central control panel.
The rocket acceleraton the way expected to
give comdr Shepard feeling heaness equivalent to six
times his weight re-enering the atmosphere on the
down expected that he would be subjected to II
times the force of gravity times for space Of
about minutes he would to be absolutely without weight
During all these phases there jobs for Coor shepard
to do. None of them essential to his own lie and
safety because this taken of automatically by con-
trolers on the ground
The crucial matter of Comdr Shepards recovery was
largely in the hands the Navy and Marine Corps The space
foated gently into the beneath large
parachute at a speed of about 20 miles an hour Marine hell
copters depoyed to pick Comdr Shepard and his
Al