To the moon and back! One of NASA’s original Mercury Seven, Alan Shepard was the first American in outer space and now his 1968 Chevrolet Corvette 427/435 convertible from the GM program that offered astronauts these iconic American sports cars is crossing the block at our Scottsdale Auction. Lot #1420 is selling with No Reserve at WestWorld, January 22-30, 2022. | Barrett-Jackson

On this day in history, Alan Shepard launched aboard a Mercury capsule to become the first American in space. This 15-minute suborbital journey in 1961 led to big plans for human spaceflight, including the goal to send humans to the Moon. https://go.nasa.gov/3eiRcCO | NASA's Johnson Space Center

60 years ago today, astronaut Alan Shepard climbed into the Freedom 7 capsule for a sub-orbital flight 115 miles above the Earth’s surface, becoming the first American in space. Soon-to-be Evening News anchor Walter Cronkite reported from Cape Canaveral. | CBS Evening News

“What a beautiful view.” Alan Shepard became the first American in space 60 years ago today (May 5, 1961) when Freedom 7 lifted off atop a Mercury-Redstone rocket. The 15-minute flight gave us valuable data on how humans respond to microgravity, and set us on a path toward having a continuous human presence in space with the construction of the International Space Station decades later: youtu.be/YMptAi6Z8io | NASA - National Aeronautics and Space Administration