On this day, May 5th in 1961, NASA Astronaut Alan Bartlett Shepard Jr. became the first American in space aboard the Freedom 7 capsule on NASA's MR-3 mission. The brief suborbital flight lasted 15 minutes and reached an altitude of 116 miles into Earth's atmosphere. After completing the milestone achievement and returning to Earth, Comdr. Shepard proclaimed, “Man, what a ride!” as he was pulled from the Atlantic ocean. This photo depicts the recovery operations led by a U.S. Marine helicopter team. Happy #spaceday folks! Have a great weekend. Credit: NASA #NASA #astronauts #NationalAstronautDay