Nasa 60 years ago today, astronaut Alan Shepard became the first American to travel in space

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60 years ago today, astronaut Alan Shepard became the first American to travel in space, climbing some 116 miles (188 km) above Earth's surface, taking space exploration to new heights for the United States!

Because of the monumental success of Shepard’s 15-minute flight powered by a Redstone rocket, we proved that we could successfully send humans to space. Three weeks later, President John F. Kennedy committed the United States to achieving a lunar landing before the end of the decade.

✏️ Quiz time: Astronaut Alan Shepard made it to the Moon later on in his career on which Apollo mission?

A) Apollo 10
B) Apollo 12
C) Apollo