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It has been 50 years since astronaut Alan Shepard became the first American to enter the Earth's orbit, reaching an altitude of 116 miles
On 5 May, 1961, Alan Shepard became the first American to escape the Earth's atmosphere. He spent 15 minutes in space, reached a peak altitude of 116 miles and travelled at a top speed of 5,180 miles per hour.
A Redstone rocket, similar to the one above, was converted from a ballistic missile into the Mercury-Redstone rocket that propelled Shepard into space.
See more space photos on ZDNet UK.
Caption by: Andy Smith
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