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Alan Shepard

Alan Shepard Books

United States Naval Aviator

Alan Shepard, born on November 18, 1923 and died on July 21, 1998, was a United States naval aviator. He was a key figure in the American space program and the first American to travel into space. Shepard served with distinction in the United States Navy, and his contributions to space exploration have made him a renowned figure.

Moon Shot: The Inside Story of America'...

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“I must admit, maybe I am a piece of history after all.”

Author:Alan Shepard

“We wanted to be in great shape, we wanted to be able to cope with zero gravity, we wanted to be able to cope with accelerations and decelerations and so on. So all of us trained so that we were probably in the best physical condition we had ever been in up until that point.”

Able Wanted Conditions Shapes Zero Gravity Acceleration Zero Gravity

Author:Alan Shepard

“There's no question that all the generations got excited about the first flights, with Kennedy's inspiration to go to the moon, leaving the planet for the first time, and fortunately coming back.”

Firsts Inspiration Generations Planets Moon First Time Leaving Excited Flight Coming Back

Author:Alan Shepard

“I know you're all saying I can go to the moon but I can't find Pasadena.”

Knows I Can Moon Pasadena

Author:Alan Shepard

“I guess those of us who have been with NASA kind of understand the tremendous excitement and thrills and celebrations and national pride that went with the Apollo program is just something you're not going to create again, probably until we go to Mars.”

Kind Has Beens Pride Program Excitement Celebration Mars Apollo Nasa National Pride

Author:Alan Shepard

“We need a continuing presence in space.”

Needs Space Continuing

Author:Alan Shepard

“I think about the personal accomplishment, but there's more of a sense of the grand achievement by all the people who could put this man on the moon.”

People Thinking Men Moon Achievement Accomplishment

Author:Alan Shepard

“I can hit it farther on the moon. But actually, my swing is better here on Earth.”

I Can Earth Moon Swings

Author:Alan Shepard

“I just wanted to be the first one to fly for America, not because I'd end up in the pages of history books.”

Firsts Book Ends Wanted America Pages History Books

Author:Alan Shepard

“The same way people are now paying a couple thousand dollars to fly to other parts of the world, people will be paying $50,000 to spend a weekend on a space station.”

People World Way Space Couple Thousand Dollars Stations Weekend

Author:Alan Shepard

“We had some adverse conditions in the '60s, in the '70s and the '80s. The agency has risen above that in the past and will rise above that again.”

Past Conditions Agency 80s Rise Above Risen Adverse

Author:Alan Shepard

“We're going to see passengers in space stations in 15 years, who will be able to buy a ticket and spend a weekend in space.”

Years Able Space Stations Weekend Tickets Passengers

Author:Alan Shepard

“I think first of all you have to be there for the right reason.”

Thinking Firsts Reason

Author:Alan Shepard

“It's a very sobering feeling to be up in space and realize that one's safety factor was determined by the lowest bidder on a government contract.”

Feelings Government Realizing Space Safety Determined Factors Contracts Lowest Star Gazing Outer Space Spaceflight

Author:Alan Shepard

“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.”

Believe Fields Fame Scientist Get Back Pilots Astronomers

Author:Alan Shepard

“You may not have any extra talent, but maybe you are just paying more attention to what you are doing.”

May Attention Talent Extras

Author:Alan Shepard

“I'd like to say I was smart enough to finish six grades in five years, but I think perhaps the teacher was just glad to get rid of me.”

Thinking Years Enough Five Teacher Six Smart Glad Five Years Grades

Author:Alan Shepard

“Obviously I was challenged by becoming a Naval aviator, by landing aboard aircraft carriers and so on.”

Becoming Navy Landing Aircraft Naval Carrier Aviator Aircraft Carriers

Author:Alan Shepard

“You know, being a test pilot isn't always the healthiest business in the world.”

Knows World Tests Pilots

Author:Alan Shepard

“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.”

Ends Together Gone Week Design Areas Various Get Back Construction Engineers Phases Testing Back Together

Author:Alan Shepard

“You've done it in the simulator so many times, you don't have a real sense of being excited when the flight is going on. You're excited before, but as soon as the liftoff occurs, you are busy doing what you have to do.”

Real Done Busy Excited Flight

Author:Alan Shepard

“But when I was selected, after my very first tour of squadron duty, to become one of the youngest candidates for the test pilot school, I began to realize, maybe you are a little bit better.”

Firsts Littles School Bits Realizing Duty Little Bit Tests Candidates Pilots Selected

Author:Alan Shepard

“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.”

Used Morning Ten Clean Miles Airplane Teens Saturday Bike Cleaning Airports Miles Away Saturday Morning

Author:Alan Shepard

“The excitement really didn't 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.”

Stuff Space Walking Suits Excitement Trailers Pads Ventilation

Author:Alan Shepard

“The first plane ride was in a homemade glider my buddy and I built. Unfortunately we didn't get more than four feet off the ground, because it crashed.”

Firsts Four Feet Built Planes Buddy Aeroplanes Homemade Feet Off The Ground Plane Rides

Author:Alan Shepard

“The pilot looked at his cues of attitude and speed and orientation and so on and responded as he would from the same cues in an airplane, but there was no way it flew the same. The simulators had showed us that.”

Way Attitude Speed Pilots Airplane Flew Orientation Aeroplanes

Author:Alan Shepard

“Then there was the challenge to keep doing better and better, to fly the best test flight that anybody had ever flown. That led to my being recognized as one of the more experienced test pilots, and that led to the astronaut business.”

Challenges Tests Flight Pilots Astronaut

Author:Alan Shepard

“Why don't you light that candle ?”

Light Science Candle

Author:Alan Shepard

“Roger, liftoff, and the clock is started.”

Clock Aviation Airplane Roger Star Gazing

Book:Moon Shot: The Inside Story of America's Apollo Moon Landings

Source: Moon Shot: The Inside Story of America's Apollo Moon Landings

“Unfortunately, the suit is so stiff, I can't do this with two hands, but I'm going to try a little sand-trap shot here.”

Trying Littles I Can Two Hands Shots Golf Suits Sand Traps Two Hands

Author:Alan Shepard

“Got more dirt than ball. Here we go again.”

Balls Golf Dirt Golf Ball Here We Go Again

Author:Alan Shepard

“Miles and miles and miles.”

Golf Miles Railroad Tracks

Author:Alan Shepard

“Because of the suit I was wearing, I couldn't make a good pivot on the swing. And I had to hit the ball with one hand.”

Hands Balls Golf Suits Swings

Author:Alan Shepard

“The suit was so clumsy, being pressurized, it was impossible to get two hands comfortably on the handle and it's impossible to make any kind of a turn. It was kind of a one-handed chili-dip.”

Kind Two Hands Turns Impossible Golf Handle Suits Clumsy Dip Two Hands Chili

Author:Alan Shepard

“Then I thought, with the same clubhead speed, the ball's going to go at least six times as far. There's absolutely no drag, so if you do happen to spin it, it won't slice or hook 'cause there's no atmosphere to make it turn.”

Ifs Happens Turns Causes Six Balls Golf Speed Atmosphere Drag Hook

Author:Alan Shepard

“If somebody'd said before the flight, 'Are you going to get carried away looking at the Earth from the Moon?' I would have say, 'No, no way.' But yet when I first looked back at the Earth, standing on the Moon, I cried.”

Ifs Way Firsts Said Earth Space Moon Standing Flight Cried Space Exploration Carried Away

Author:Alan Shepard

“You have to be there not for the fame and glory and recognition and being a page in a history book, but you have to be there because you believe your talent and ability can be applied effectively to operation of the spacecraft.”

Believe Book Ability Talent Fame Pages Glory Recognition Operations History Books Spacecraft Talents And Abilities

Author:Alan Shepard

“The fact that every part of this ship was built by the low bidder.”

Facts Lows Built Ships

Author:Alan Shepard

“I realized up there that our planet is not infinite. It's fragile. That may not be obvious to a lot of folks, and it's tough that people are fighting each other here on Earth instead of trying to get together and live on this planet. We look pretty vulnerable in the darkness of space.”

“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.”

Thinking School Rooms Discipline Achievement Helpful Plus

Author:Alan Shepard

“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.”

Thinking Stills Design Development Training Research Planning More Time Research And Development

Author:Alan Shepard

“I woke up an hour before I was supposed to, and started going over the mental checklist: where do I go from here, what do I do? I don't remember eating anything at all, just going through the physical, getting into the suit. We practiced that so much, it was all rote.”

Remember Hours Eating Suits Checklists

Author:Alan Shepard

“I didn't mind studying. Obviously math and the physical science subjects interested me more than some of the more artistic subjects, but I think I was a pretty good student.”

Thinking Mind Science Study Subjects Students Math Artistic Physical Science Good Students

Author:Alan Shepard

“We also knew it would be difficult, because of the financial condition of the family, for me to go to college.”

Would Be Difficult Conditions College Financial

Author:Alan Shepard

“When I first looked back at the Earth, standing on the Moon I cried”

Firsts Earth Space Moon Standing Cried

Author:Alan Shepard

“I think all of us certainly believed the statistics which said that probably 88% chance of mission success and maybe 96% chance of survival. And we were willing to take those odds.”

Thinking Said Chance Willing Survival Missions Statistics Odds

Author:Alan Shepard

“Of course I was delighted the flight was over, but I still had to worry about cleaning up inside the cabin, I had to worry about the hatch, how to get in the sling, and so on.”

Stills Courses Worry Flight Cleaning Delighted Cabins Cleaning Up

Author:Alan Shepard

“So everything turned out fine, and we were given the opportunity to go to Washington and be briefed on the project of man in space, and given the opportunity to choose whether we wanted to get involved or not.”

Men Wanted Opportunity Given Space Fine Involved Projects Get Involved

Author:Alan Shepard

“Of course, in our grade school, in those days, there were no organized sports at all. We just went out and ran around the school yard for recess.”

School Courses Sports Ran Organized Grades Yards Recess Grades In School Organized Sports

Author:Alan Shepard

“Why don't you fix your little problem and light this candle?”

Littles Problem Light Walking Moon Candle Star Gazing

Author:Alan Shepard

About the Author

Born: November 18, 1923
Died: July 21, 1998
Known for: United States Naval Aviator
Quotes: 52

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