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Old 05-05-11, 10:24 AM   #1
Growler
A long way from the sea
 
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Default Fifty years on...

Despite budget setbacks, the losses of Apollo 1, Challenger, and Columbia, and withering public support, NASA continues to pursue manned space flight.

Fifty years ago today, 5 May, 1961, American Navy Pilot Alan Shepard strapped a Redstone rocket to his back and made his short jaunt some 115 miles or so into near-Earth orbit, going downrange some ~300 miles over the course of his ~15 minutes flight. In so doing, he opened the fledgling space agency's Manned Spaceflight program.

Bravo Zulu, Admiral Shepard; Rest in Peace, we remember.
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