We wanted to be in great shape, we wanted to be able to cope with zero gravity, we wanted to be able to cope with accelerations and decelerations and so on. So all of us trained so that we were probably in the best physical condition we had ever been in up until that point. Alan Shepard accelerationconditioncope share on social
Later, in the early teens, I used to ride my bike every Saturday morning to the nearest airport, ten miles away, push airplanes in and out of the hangars, and clean up the hangars. Alan Shepard airplaneairportbike Change image and share on social
The rocket had worked perfectly, and all I had to do was survive the reentry forces. You do it all, in a flight like that, in a rather short period of time, just 16 minutes as a matter of fact. Alan Shepard factflightforce Change image and share on social
The first plane ride was in a homemade glider my buddy and I built. Unfortunately we didn't get more than four feet off the ground, because it crashed. Alan Shepard buddybuildcrash Change image and share on social
I didn't mind studying. Obviously math and the physical science subjects interested me more than some of the more artistic subjects, but I think I was a pretty good student. Alan Shepard artisticgoodinterest Change image and share on social
It's a very sobering feeling to be up in space and realize that one's safety factor was determined by the lowest bidder on a government contract. Alan Shepard biddercontractdetermine Change image and share on social
You may not have any extra talent, but maybe you are just paying more attention to what you are doing. Alan Shepard attentionextrapay Change image and share on social
I think the sense of family and family achievement, plus the discipline which I received there from that one-room school were really very helpful in what I did later on. Alan Shepard achievementdisciplinefamily Change image and share on social
They say any landing you can walk away from is a good one. Alan Shepard goodlandwalk Change image and share on social
The excitement really didn't start to build until the trailer - which was carrying me, with a space suit with ventilation and all that sort of stuff - pulled up to the launch pad. Alan Shepard buildcarryexcitement Change image and share on social