Ever since the idea of flying into space took on real shape, reaching other planets has become a dream of mankind. The implementation of this task turned out to be a difficult matter, but the first step was taken - people managed to land on the moon, the space body closest to Earth.
The honor of landing on the moon belongs to American astronauts. Speaking about this event, Neil Armstrong is usually remembered - the man who first set foot on the lunar surface and uttered the historical phrase about "a small step for man and a huge leap for all mankind."
But the first flight of people to the moon was followed by the second, third. There were six such expeditions in total, and each of them is remarkable in its own way.
Astronaut Alan Shepard
American astronaut Alan Shepard is a man with an amazing destiny. He had a chance to become the first person in space.
In the late 50s. In the 20th century, it was obvious that the United States lagged behind the USSR in the field of space exploration. This was not only of military importance. It was clear that sending a man into space in the Soviet Union was a matter of the near future. "From a propaganda standpoint, one person in space is worth a dozen ballistic missiles," wrote the New York Herald Tribune.
In the United States, everything was done to ensure that the first person in space was a citizen of this country. In 1959, seven high-profile pilots were selected to participate in a special program called "Mercury", among them was test pilot, Navy officer Alan Shepard.
Among the participants of the program "Mercury" A. Shepard was the best, it was he who on May 5, 1961 went into space on the spaceship capsule "Mercury-Redstone-3". He did not become the first man in space - he was outstripped by the Soviet cosmonaut Yuri Gagarin, but he became the first astronaut in the United States.
Flight to the moon
After such a brilliant start to his space career, the further fate of A. Shepard was very dramatic. The next flight, in which he was supposed to take part in 1963, was canceled, and a year later the astronaut had to abandon flights due to a serious illness.
After postponing the operation, A. Shepard was able to return to work only in the late 60s, but a new "finest hour" soon followed: in 1971 A. Shepard headed the third flight to the moon. None of his fellow members of the Mercury program received such an honor.
This flight is notable for the fact that A. Shepard on the Moon … played golf. The astronaut brought three balls and a golf club to the moon. The first two hits were not very successful, but the third was accurate and strong: the ball flew 200 m away. On Earth, it is impossible to send the ball to such a distance, but on the Moon the force of gravity is weaker.
The historic moonlit golfing moment was captured on camera. The recording is not of high quality, but it is still argued about. Someone sees in it a confirmation of the authenticity of flights to the moon, and someone finds evidence of the falsification of the American lunar program.
