Alan B. Shepard was featured in a local T.V. show called New Hampshire Chronical.
Shepard was from Derry, NH. In January, 2011 marked the fortieth year of his famous moonwalk and golf game on the moon. Derry, NH has a museum and one room is in his honor. His former home and property is now a historical monument. In Concord, the state capitol, there is a museum in both Christa McAuliffe and Alan Shepard.
Watching the Chronical show brought back a long forgotten memory of wanting to see Alan Shepard in a parade in Derry after his fight to the moon. My mother would not drive me down to it and was too cold to ride my bike being in January/Febuary timeframe. I was ten years old. I wanted to meet Alan Shepard because I thought we had a lot in common, typical ten year old thinking! I wrote him a letter with the help of my science teacher but I never got a response. I was once told the Shepard hated his hometown and never wanted to return, the Chronical show said the oppsite, maybe I misunderstood. This year marks the Fifthieth of his flight into space. Time to make a MR-7 to launch.
I plan to launch a rocket around about the time Alan Shepard launched into space some 50 years ago. I'm hoping you will celebrate with me by launching a rocket and posting it here in YORF.

Daniel

Really? Hated Derry? Lordy, I though Wilton, Tilton, and Derry, along with Hancock were simply great! I lived in Hancock and then Keene for a few years in the early 70's Just a lovely state. Don't know how it is now.

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The past few years saw quite a few 40th anniversary events marking the end of the Space Race. We are now entering the window for golden anniversary events for its beginning. Starting with the first Vostok and Mercury flights this year. Are you listening, Estes?

Some people remember their childhood fondly; others could not get out of town quick enough...


Bill

I've only read one biography of Shepherd in the past few years. After coming across the 3rd factual error or so, I could only take the book with a grain of salt.

Does anyone know of a good biography?

Greg

Derry use to be shabby little town. Tilton and Wilton too! Hancock has the most photographed church in the fall in New England. Keane has come around too. The state has invested into itself for tourisum. If it has been awhile, come on back and take a look.

Hey,

I'm half way through Moon Shot , the "autobiographical" Alan Shepard wrote with Deke Slayton shortly before Deke died. There are some factual problems here and there as well but it's been an interesting read. Certain things have been sanitized and will remain that way until all of the interested parties have passed on. I understand that. People tend to paint themselves in the best possible light. I understand that, too.

I think the definitive history of the 1957-1975 period of space exploration has yet to be written. I think the Russian and American historical work is just beginning. Of the Vostok cosmonauts, I think only Valentina Tereshkova is still alive and only Glenn and Carpenter are still alive of the Mercury 7. I'd love to see biographys of the all of the space travelers from that period from Yuri to Deke and Vance. I'd also love to see a hard cover history of the Russian moon program.

Maybe somebody would like to tackle "dead cosmonauts and dead taikonauts" doing the Major Tom thing and their governments covering it up. Conspiracy theorists have at 'em . . . .

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I miss being SAM 062

Awaiting First Launch: Too numerous to count
Finishing: Zooch Saturn V; Alway/Nau BioArcas; Estes Expedition; TLP Standard
Repair/Rescue: Cherokee-D (2); Centuri Nike-Smoke; MX-774
On the Bench: 2650;
Dream Stage: 1/39.37 R-7

I have read several good books about the Soviet space program. For starters, try Two Sides of the Moon: Our Story of the Cold War Space Race.


Bill

Boris Chertok (head of control systems under Korolev) has a four book series on the Russian Space Program called "Rockets and People." His first book starts near the end of WWII when they were collecting, well, rockets and people. NASA History has published the first three with the fourth and last coming out in the next few months. If you're interested in Soviet Rocketry—this is the series to have.

If you contact the NASA History Division at NASA HQ in DC and request them (or any other of their extensive books and publications), it'll cost you a buck a book. Hardback, softcover, whatever. Lots of them are e-books as well.

http://history.nasa.gov/publications.html

Years ago, I read a book about the Soviet program, written by a transplanted Russian with inside knowledge. Danged if I can find it now. It was written in ~67, so it didn't include the ultimate outcome of the space race. But it did declare that the race was already over by the time of its writing, that the Russians were way behind, and had been that way since fairly early on, and that, upon Korelov's death, they stood no chance of catching up. I've seen other books cover this same perspective, but this one, coming at the time it did, surely ran contrary to the thinking of the day. I sure would like to find it at a library again sometime.

Doug

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I am not aware of that one. The first one I read was in the mid-to-late 80s that had some insider information. Then came the Soviet Space exhibit and the collapse of the Soviet Union which opened the floodgates on previously secret information.

The Soyuz was originally intended for a lunar mission without landing though nobody ever said whether it was capable of lunar orbit like Apollo 8 or just a free-return trajectory. The Soviets might have beaten us to that record too if NASA did not go "all in" with Apollo 8 and the Saturn V after testing of the LM in Earth orbit was delayed.


Bill