Alan Shepard Quotes

A collection of quotes by Alan Shepard.

Alan Shepard was a notable American astronaut and test pilot. He was born on November 18, 1923, in East Derry, New Hampshire. Shepard graduated from the United States Naval Academy in 1944 and later joined the Navy as a fighter pilot during World War II. After the war, he continued his career as a test pilot, flying various jet aircraft.

Shepard's most significant achievement came on May 5, 1961, when he became the first American to travel to space as part of the historic Mercury-Redstone 3 mission, also known as Freedom 7. During this mission, he piloted the spacecraft and achieved a maximum altitude of 187.5 kilometers (116.5 miles) and a maximum speed of 8,262 kilometers per hour (5,134 miles per hour).

Following his historic spaceflight, Shepard played a crucial role in the Apollo program. After being grounded for several years due to an inner ear disorder, he underwent successful surgery and was assigned as commander of Apollo 14 in 1971. During this mission, Shepard became the fifth person to walk on the Moon and the first to play golf there.

Shepard retired from NASA and the Navy in 1974, having accumulated a total of 216 hours and 57 minutes in space. After leaving the space agency, he pursued a career in business and became a successful businessman. Alan Shepard passed away on July 21, 1998, leaving behind a legacy as one of America's pioneering astronauts.

I must admit, maybe I am a piece of history after all.

I must admit, maybe I am a piece of history after all.

History

$I didn't mind studying. Obviously math and the physical scie$

I didn't mind studying. Obviously math and the physical science subjects interested me more than some of the more artistic subjects, but I think I was a pretty good student.

Science

The pilot looked at his cues of attitude and speed and orien

The pilot looked at his cues of attitude and speed and orientation and so on and responded as he would from the same cues in an airplane, but there was no way it flew the same. The simulators had showed us that.

Attitude

I think all of us certainly believed the statistics which sa

I think all of us certainly believed the statistics which said that probably 88% chance of mission success and maybe 96% chance of survival. And we were willing to take those odds.

Success

Later, in the early teens, I used to ride my bike every Satu

Later, in the early teens, I used to ride my bike every Saturday morning to the nearest airport, ten miles away, push airplanes in and out of the hangars, and clean up the hangars.

Morning

We worked with the engineers in the design and construction

We worked with the engineers in the design and construction and testing phases in those various areas, then we would get back together at the end of the week and brief each other as to what had gone on.

Design

Of course, in our grade school, in those days, there were no

Of course, in our grade school, in those days, there were no organized sports at all. We just went out and ran around the school yard for recess.

Sports

You have to be there not for the fame and glory and recognit

You have to be there not for the fame and glory and recognition and being a page in a history book, but you have to be there because you believe your talent and ability can be applied effectively to operation of the spacecraft.

History

I'd like to say I was smart enough to finish six grades in f

I'd like to say I was smart enough to finish six grades in five years, but I think perhaps the teacher was just glad to get rid of me.

Teacher

It's a very sobering feeling to be up in space and realize t

It's a very sobering feeling to be up in space and realize that one's safety factor was determined by the lowest bidder on a government contract.

Government