<a href="//commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/Alan_Shepard" title="Alan Shepard">Alan Shepard</a> in capsule aboard <a href="//commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/Freedom_7" class="mw-redirect" title="Freedom 7">Freedom 7</a> before launch—1961 Alan Shepard became the first American in space on May 5, 1961. He launched aboard his Mercury-Redstone 3 rocket named Freedom 7--the suborbital flight lasted 15 minutes.
NASA
Taken on 5 May 1961
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