Perhaps the youngsters of today will go up and play golf with them some time, 25 or 30 years from now. The rocket had worked perfectly, and all I had to do was survive the reentry forces. Is there anything else you think is important to say? We were assigned a landing area about a mile away from a fairly large crater, which had a 15-degree slope, as you approach the top of it. Fortunately, in my case, he lived long enough to see me go to the moon and back. Although we were right there at the rim, and collected samples from the injected boulders, we didnt realize that we were specifically right there. Its been interesting over the years, in talking to the average layman about space. The excitement really didnt start to build until the trailer which was carrying me, with a space suit with ventilation and all that sort of stuff pulled up to the launch pad. It was fairly well rounded. SOHIER: This is the beginning of an oral interview with Astronaut Alan B. Shepard, Jr., in connection with the oral history program of the Kennedy Library. Of course, in our grade school, in those days, there were no organized sports at all. In that year, fantasy became reality as the United States and the Soviet Union both launched men into space. Admiral Shepard, if there was one place in this world or in this universe that you havent explored, what would that be? I started building model airplanes. Because if you have a person there who is petrified, he is not going to be any good as pilot, as a backup, as an observer, or whatever his function is going to be. Alan Shepard: The Redstone was a relatively smooth rocket. In the early days, none of us realized what the positive response would be to the handful of us who were the first to fly, the first to orbit, the first to land on the moon. Maybe he could get into the Naval Academy, become a Naval Officer and go through flight school. The fact that every part of this ship was built by the low bidder. And even at that age gosh, I was what? When Lindbergh made his flight. . Shepard varsity 16 Argo 10 Brandon Keska and Josh Case were players of the game. 50 Years Ago: Apollo 14 Splashdown and Recovery | NASA Ring-billed Gull + Saturn + Titan, Moon of Saturn. Find old friends, remember the good times, and reconnect with the great days of youth. Apollo XIII, which Shepard had hoped to lead himself, was forced to turn back in mid-course. Fortunately my girls were there and they had a chance to meet him also. 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. What do I do if that goes wrong? You know what critical things have to happen in sequence. During the five-year life of the project, six human-tended flights and eight automated flights were completed, proving that human spaceflight was possible. What was her reaction? Really, of course, nobody thought about astronauts in those days, but I didnt really even start thinking about airplanes very much when I was in grade school. Students kept their cool when a man standing on the sidewalk began shouting, my life matters, I support the police, and he was a crackhead, referring to George Floyd, who had a history of drug arrests. What was it like to be up on the moon? When news spread through the region, along We look pretty vulnerable in the darkness of space. Other activities included Easts Cupcake Challenge, won by senior Nhi Nguyen (23) who made bouquet-themed cupcakes, and a Cougar Scavenger Hunt, during which students collected colored Cougar Cards to gain points for their class. Did anybody say you were too old to go to the moon? Alan Shepard: I think she was all for it. Today, many Americans take the missions of the Space Shuttle for granted, and few of our astronauts become household names. I guess my pulse really wasnt much over about 110 or so. What was it like finding your way around on the lunar surface? That led to my being recognized as one of the more experienced test pilots, and that led to the astronaut business. In the early days particularly, we didnt envision ourselves receiving the attention and publicity which we did, because there were a lot of skeptics in the early days of the space business. I think the sense of family and family achievement, plus the discipline which I received there from that one-room school were really very helpful in what I did later on. Admiral Shepard, lots of Navy pilots didnt take things as far as you did. Seeing the earth, even though it is four times as large as the moon, but still it looks fragile. We had about 30 minutes of recollecting what he had done and what that had meant to early aviation. Each class danced to a compilation of songs that matched their class theme and incorporated unique talents from dancers in the group; for example, the Freshman Class included a drum performance in their performance. Alan B. Shepard High School 13049 S. Ridgeland Avenue Palos Heights, IL 60463 Phone: 708-371-1111 Fax: 708-371-8392 Staff Login. Why were you hitting golf balls on the moon? There were tasks of navigation and unstowing and getting ready and so on, but there was also some chance to look around, and see what the earth looked like, and really get used to zero gravity. There was not a lot of commercial aviation. Alan Shepard: Thats right. Early Childhood Center, Meyerland Performing and Visual Arts Middle School, DeBakey High School for Health Professions, Mickey Leland College Preparatory Academy for Young Men, Sam Houston Math, Science and Technology Center, Windsor Village Vanguard Magnet Elementary, Blackboard Web Community Manager Privacy Policy (Updated). Suzy thinks shes there to tutor Jacks son, Danny, but instead she finds herself investigating a local curse that threatens the landmark hotel.With the help of Elijah Jones, an amateur filmmaker who thought hed been asked to make a film about the so-called King of Horror; Rena Hallorann, the hotels caretaker; and Danny, who knows more than hes letting on, Suzy sets out to solve the mystery at the heart of the Underlook, one that holds the town of Estes Park in its grasp. Which I did, and I folded up the collapsible golf club and brought it back with me. Thats always been a good lesson to me that youve got to do the very best you can all the time. Obviously the teacher thought so. And we were willing to take those odds. Kennedy wanted to announce a program that the U.S. had a strong chance at achieving before the Soviet Union. Alan Shepard's widow dead at 76 Louise Brewer Shepard, widow of NASA astronaut Alan B. Shepard Jr., and a longtime Houston resident, died this week in California. We have seen the whole world from a distance. On May 5 of that year, a Redstone rocket launched Americas first astronaut, Alan Shepard, beyond the earths atmosphere, into space. This years Spirit Week has come to an end. Connect with friends and faculty from back in our high school days. Obviously I am highly qualified in these particular areas. Admiral Alan Bartlett Shepard Jr, NASA,1st American in Space, Mercury 7 Program, Apollo 14 Astronaut, Moon Explorer Rear Admiral Shepard was the first of the Project Mercury Seven astronauts named by NASA in April 1959, and he holds the distinction of being the first American to journey . 2 He . Every conceivable situation the men would encounter in space travel was studied and, when possible, simulated with training devices. Then there was the challenge to keep doing better and better, to fly the best test flight that anybody had ever flown. In . And I think that still is true of this business - which is basically research and development - that you probably spend more time in planning and training and designing for things to go wrong, and how you cope with them, than you do for things to go right. Of course, I knew right away who he was. Alan B. Shepard H.S. Class of 2003 - Facebook A lack of attention to duty. Overall, Spirit Week remains a large part of East culture as a beloved tradition for years to come. Alan Shepard: No. We will let you command Apollo XIV if you will give us another crew for Apollo XIII. So Slayton and I gave them another crew. What did your wife say? So apparently, I was getting some help from outside sources. Very pleasant moments. And you have to be a fairly dedicated, objective individual, recognize that it is going to be dangerous, and you are going to spend your time practicing what to do if things go wrong. Kennedy felt great pressure to have the United States "catch up to and overtake" the Soviet Union in the "space race." We also knew it would be difficult, because of the financial condition of the family, for me to go to college. He remained with NASA as chief of the astronaut office, but could only sit and watch as younger astronauts of Project Apollo prepared for travel to the moon. Alan Shepard: No, I dont really think so. Is that so? Alan B. Shepard High School Alumni - Facebook He was promoted to Admiral before finally retiring from the Navy and from NASA. You take one step and your foot slips back, so it really got to be physically difficult for us. Required fields are marked *, The themes for this years Spirit Week revolved around several iconic reality TV shows. Whether you are an astronomer or a life scientist, geophysicist, or a pilot, you've got to be there because you believe you are good in your field, and you can contribute, not because you are going to get a lot of fame or whatever when you get back. Alan Shepard: I had the opportunity to be with him on several occasions before he died. 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. I'm protesting you, the man yelled, until the students downed him out by chanting, Black Lives Matter. A flock of white birds then swooped over the students. These seven were subjected to an unprecedented and grueling training in the sciences and in physical endurance. Secret rooms, eerie curses, forgotten caves. The deal I made with the boss was that if things were messed up on the surface, I wouldnt play with it, because we would be accused of being too frivolous. The simulators had showed us that. His father was a retired Army officer. That was an emotional moment. Roger, liftoff, and the clock is started. Alan Shepard: We talked in terms of his pioneering efforts. https://shepardhighschool.com. Contact Information - Contact Information - Alan B. Shepard High School Pam Werniak. You think its pretty big when youre back there among your friends and its 25,000 miles around, and so on. Every day we present the best quotes! Who Was Alan Shepard? | NASA After qualifying as a test pilot, he tested high-altitude aircraft and in-flight fueling systems, and made some of the first landings on angled carrier decks. I think the sense of family and family achievement, plus the discipline which I received there from that one-room school were really very helpful in what I did later on. He was one of NASA's first seven astronauts. She died of a heart attack while traveling by airliner between San Francisco and Monterey, Calif., on Tuesday. But you can recognize when youre goofing off, and get back on track. I said, In my case it is going to be correctable. A NASA guy said, We like you, Shepard, you can be in charge of all the astronauts. I remember just reaching the apex of the trajectory, when I was going to be in the middle of the weightlessness, and I was looking at the periscope, and all of a sudden I said, You know, somebody is going to ask me how it feels to be weightless, so you better pay attention to how it feels to be weightless. So I was going through the motions of flying, but at the same time trying to assess physiologically how I felt. 440 Grove Ave Deerfield IL 60015 An excellent student, Shepard won an appointment to the U.S. Small Estes Park, Colo., relies on revenue generated by tourists to stay afloat. Theres a message here for me still. Obviously at that point I was delighted. Louise Brewer Shepard (1922-1998) - Find a Grave Memorial And thats when it really all started. He served as operations officer of the 193rd Fighter Squadron on two tours of the Western Pacific, and as an instructor at the Navy Test Pilot School. There were several who chose not to get involved, not because of fear of failure, but rather because it was a career deviation. I realized up there that our planet is not infinite. You know, being a test pilot isn't always the healthiest business in the world. I did what I had to do around home, and did what I had to do in school. In May 1961, Shepard made the first manned Mercury flight. They wanted a peaceful protest that did not disrupt the community and they did it perfectly, Walder said. I hadnt really expected it: all of a sudden realizing that people wanted autographs, didnt always ask at the right time, they werent always polite, and they sort of figured we were public property because they were taxpayers. "It's Been 25 Years Since We Took That Giant Leap For Mankind - Moon Odyssey" by James Endrst, The Hartford Courant, p. B1, July 08, 1994.