Derry NH’s Alan Shepard Walked The Moon 49 Years Ago This Week

Wednesday marked the anniversary of Apollo 14, where the Granite State native became one of the few to ever walk on the moon.

Alan Shepard is an American hero. The New Hampshire native was in the Navy during World War 2. Later, in 1961, he became the second person, and first American to reach space with Mercury-Redstone 3, in a spacecraft he named Freedom 7. According to Wikipedia, his craft entered space, but was not capable of achieving orbit. The Derry native's space plans had to be put on hold a few years later, as he battled Ménière's disease, an inner-ear ailment that caused episodes of extreme dizziness and nausea.

Not to be deterred, in 1971 Shepard commanded the Apollo 14 mission. It was there he became the fifth person to walk on the Moon. During the mission, he hit two golf balls on the lunar surface. They reportedly flew for miles.

Upon returning to Earth, he was awarded the NASA Distinguished Service Medal by President John F. Kennedy, according to WMUR News 9.

A salute of one of New Hampshire's finest!