There’s a big difference between 15 minutes and 15 years, right?
Not really.
Alan Shepard’s flight only lasted 15 minutes, but it began the U.S. human presence in space. The U.S. continues to be involved in human spaceflight through the International Space Station (ISS) which has had a nonstop human presence for just over 15 years.
Shepard became the first American in space 55 years ago yesterday while participating in NASA’s Mercury program. The objective of the program was to determine human capabilities in space and the challenges of traveling to and from space.
There were approximately 45 million Americans watching the event on television.
Alan Shepard’s view space on May 5, 1961. Image credit: NASA
Mercury-Redstone 3’s flight trajectory. Image credit: NASA
For the past 15 years, humans have been doing research from approximately 250 miles above Earth on the ISS. From this orbiting laboratory, our astronaut scientists utilize the unique microgravity environment to advance our understanding of the effects of space on the human body, which will eventually allow a journey to Mars. This was famously tested over the past year with Scott Kelly’s 342-day stay on the space station.
Scott Kelly shared this photo during his 340-day mission on the International Space Station. Image credit: NASA
Click here to learn more about NASA’s Journey to Mars.
To learn more about the International Space Station, visit NASA.gov.