6 thoughts on “Fifty Years Of American Spaceflight”

  2. While I have no argument with your conclusions, if you can, you should correct the statement that Shepard commanded a Gemini mission. He certainly would have, but he was grounded for a number of years by an inner-ear disorder.

  3. Another note, that’s only important to me: I was privileged to stand outside my elementary school (1st grade) in Orlando, and watch the first American launched into space. It started a lifelong fascination with space for me.

  4. D’oh!!!

    You’re right. That was the alternate history. I also forgot to mention that he was the first person to do an EVA, before Ed White. 🙂

  5. I was 3 years old at the time of Shepard’s flight. My dad always said that I was sitting on his lap in the living room watching it on TV, but I was too young to remember it.

    On the day of John Glenn’s flight I had just turned 4, and I remember that my mom had to leave for a dentist appointment. I’m sure I watched it all on TV, but that’s the only thing I remember from that day.

    I don’t have any memories of the later Mercury flights, either. The last one occurred when I was not quite 5 1/2. It’s very odd that that one extraneous detail should stick in my mind.

  6. both Virgin Galactic and XCOR Aerospace, among others, plan to offer trips for paying passengers within the next couple years

    Once again, with all the cautious optimism applied, i hope that the situation does not keep being this for too long. I mean, it would be nice if these “couple of years” actually passed, any year now ..

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