May 5

First American launched into space

On this day in 1961, the first American astronaut blasted off for outer space. At 9:34 a.m. Eastern Time, the Freedom launched from Kennedy Space Center in Florida. It carried Alan B. Shepard, Jr., the first American to travel into space.

The Freedom launch was a part of a space program called Mercury. The Mercury program helped scientists at NASA prepare for longer trips into space. Even though his trip lasted only 15 minutes, Shepard proved to American scientists that people could survive a rocket launch into space.