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American History

The Story of How The First American Went To Space

Darren May 8, 2026 6 min

6. The Mission: Freedom 7

6. The Mission: Freedom 7
Alan Shepard prepares for Freedom 7, the first crewed suborbital flight in space history.

Alan Shepard was chosen for the first crewed flight, codenamed Freedom 7. Delays and technical setbacks raised tensions. The mission plan was simple: a 15-minute suborbital flight to test human capability in space. (airandspace.si.edu)

Written by
Darren

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