World Explorers: Alan Shepard
DCMP is transitioning to player-based accessibility features, allowing for customization of captions, description, language, and playback speed. Learn more about these features and how they can be beneficial in an educational setting.
Learn MoreOn May 5, 1961, Alan Shepard made a 15-minute suborbital flight in the Freedom 7 spacecraft, which reached an altitude of 115 miles. The flight came 23 days after Soviet cosmonaut Yury Gagarin became the first human to travel in space, but Shepard’s flight energized U.S. space efforts and made him a national hero. Part of the "World Explorers" series.
Media Details
Runtime: 5 minutes 21 seconds
- Topic: Biographies, History, Science
- Subtopic: Biography, Explorers, Space Sciences
- Grade/Interest Level: 4 - 8
- Standards:
- Release Year: 2017
- Producer/Distributor: PBS Learning Media
- Series: World Explorers
Related Media

World Explorers: Ibn Battuta

World Explorers: Erik the Red & Leif Erikson

World Explorers: Marco Polo

World Explorers: Zheng He

World Explorers: John Cabot

World Explorers: Vasco da Gama

World Explorers: Christopher Columbus

World Explorers: Amerigo Vespucci

World Explorers: Ponce de León

World Explorers: Hernán Cortés