Shepard, Alan, and Slayton, Deke, with Barbree, Jay, and Benedict, Howard
Atlanta, GA: Turner Publishing, Inc., 1994. First Edition, Second Printing. Hardcover. 383, [1] pages. Illustrations. Index. Introduction by Neil Armstrong. Signed by the author (Alan Shepard) on the title page. Some DJ damp rippling and some top edge damp staining. Rear Admiral Alan Bartlett Shepard Jr. (November 18, 1923 – July 21, 1998) was an American astronaut, naval aviator, test pilot, and businessman. In 1961 he became the first American to travel into space, and in 1971 he walked on the Moon. A graduate of the United States Naval Academy at Annapolis, Shepard became a naval aviator in 1946, and a test pilot in 1950. He was selected as one of the original NASA Mercury Seven astronauts in 1959, and in May 1961 he made the first manned Project Mercury flight, MR-3, in a spacecraft he named Freedom 7. His craft entered space, but was not capable of achieving orbit. He became the second person, and the first American, to travel into space, and the first space traveler to manually control the orientation of his craft. Shepard was designated as the commander of the first manned Project Gemini mission, but was grounded in 1963 due to Ménière's disease. This was surgically corrected in 1969, and in 1971, Shepard commanded the Apollo 14 mission, piloting the Apollo Lunar Module Antares to the most accurate landing of the Apollo missions. At age 47, he became the oldest person to walk on the Moon, and the only one of the Mercury Seven astronauts to do so. Donald Kent "Deke" Slayton (March 1, 1924 – June 13, 1993) was a United States Air Force pilot, aeronautical engineer, and test pilot who was selected as one of the original NASA Mercury Seven astronauts. He went on to become NASA's first Chief of the Astronaut Office and Director of Flight Crew Operations, responsible for NASA crew assignments. More