Oral History: Alan Shepard

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Күн бұрын

This interview with Mercury and Apollo astronaut Alan Shepard was part of an oral history collection at the NASA Johnson Space Center. He was interviewed at his home in Pebble Beach, California, by Roy Neal on February 20, 1998, five months before his death from leukemia.

Пікірлер: 51

@sonnyburnett8725 2 жыл бұрын

It’s very sad this seems to have so few views as it’s such a great look into America’s early manned space program from someone who should know.

@maximilliancunningham6091 Жыл бұрын

Through this effort, among others, America captured the admiration, respect and love of the free world. Don't throw that away !

@neywen01 2 жыл бұрын

It's like watching "The Right Stuff" and "From the earth to the moon", but from the best point of view :) Knowing that he would have chosen to land anyway, even if this radar-bug-thing had not been fixed, is an awesome anecdote ! Thanks for this document, and my respects to Alan Shepard.

@sebastianmenvielle8703 4 ай бұрын

Astonishing documentary. Congratulations!!!!

@deepaktripathi4417 28 күн бұрын

some months after this interview,he sadly died. Such a great human being who was very brave to be the first American in space. Space lovers will always remember you sir.❤

@alanwright6036 2 жыл бұрын

This guy was my hero when he took that first U.S. suborbital flight in the Mercury space capsule. And then later, after overcoming a medical problem, walked on the moon in the Apollo 14 mission. He had a mischievous fun side. The only person to ever hit a golf ball on the moon. Watching this whole thing is a wonderfully informative experience. He was there with first hand accounts and answers to so many good questions. Alan Shephard definitely had the "Right Stuff". I had no idea he died of leukemia only five months later.

@theeverything611 5 ай бұрын

Although from Mitchell’s perspective, the line of “you’ll never know” never happened, this is still a marvelous oral history especially considering Shepard was literally a dying man he may not have had the strength to give a more thorough interview so this is truly special

@nickmues437 2 жыл бұрын

Alan Shepard, The greatest of the Astronauts! I will always have this image in my mind of him stepping out of the launch van in front of his rocket and he paused and looked up at the craft while shielding his eyes from the bright Florida sun. Rest in peace sir!

@jimmystrickland1034 11 ай бұрын

John young or Jim Lovell was the best only surpassed by cernan .

@jimmystrickland1034 11 ай бұрын

All them made two trips out

@Ruda-n4h 10 ай бұрын

Alan was THE Man.

@astrakboat 4 ай бұрын

im 13 minutes in, this is already one of the greatest interviews of an astronaut.

@tomwebster3249 4 ай бұрын

I couldn’t agree more. And the delight is real of “meeting” real heroes that have such humble recollections of their accomplishments and derring-do exploits. A generation of genuine, aspiring and inspiring people. Let’s not forget these interviews when we next use our GPS or make a cell call. 😊

@maximilliancunningham6091 Жыл бұрын

This was fantastic, i cant thank you enough.❤

@ThatTempesTGuy 2 ай бұрын

"Let's light this fuc*ing candle" -Alan Shephard

@RRaquello 2 жыл бұрын

Shepard not looking too good here, would die about six months later. He does mention towards the end that his health was not the best. I would have liked for them to get more into the frustrations of Apollo 14 and the time pressures during the moonwalk, but maybe that was too much detail to get into in a relatively short interview. Would have also liked to hear his opinion on Edgar Mitchell's loopy ESP experiments on the flight home. I was a little surprised in this interview and the one with Gordon Cooper that they were both very positive and supportive of John Glenn's later space flight, having heard Frank Borman's very opposite opinion (him saying that it was a politically motivated useless stunt). I tend to agree more with Borman.

@sonnyburnett8725 2 жыл бұрын

I’m not understanding what your saying here? Can you expand and add more information.

@RRaquello 2 жыл бұрын

@@sonnyburnett8725 If you're asking about Apollo 14, they had had a couple of experiments in the ALSEP that didn't work properly, and you could hear the frustration in Edgar Mitchell's voice. They were poorly designed and he wasted a lot of time setting them up, then they didn't work. Then there was the excursion to Cone Crater, where they kind of got lost because of inadequate maps and didn't get to where they wanted to, then found out after they abandoned the search that they were only a few yards away but didn't know it. Also, they had a very poorly functioning TV camera. Of all the moon EVA's, it was the least successful in accomplishing its goals.

@mynonameyt Жыл бұрын

Of course it was a stunt. Glen, a political animal could muster support for the program. That’s the one and only reason.

@RRaquello Жыл бұрын

@@mynonameyt It was also a quid pro quo for Glenn being the respectable point man in Bill Clinton's defense in the senate during the whole Monica Levinsky mess.

@mynonameyt Жыл бұрын

@@RRaquello John Glenn was always portrayed as a straight laced man, with high moral standards. You tell me who’s the straight shooter here, John Glenn, who wants to pretend this is some great science experiment simply because he’s in his late 70s and has a lot of political power. Or Frank Borman who never went in for the PR side of things. And Frank has the moral backbone to admit when he’s wrong, as in TV cameras on Apollo 8.

@brooklyndrive 3 ай бұрын

Great to hear this from the legends mouth.

@jshepard152 Жыл бұрын

This is Al Shepard in his last months of life. He died in July, 1998, and his wife Louise died in August.

@B25gunship 3 ай бұрын

I'm about to turn 76 and remember Alan Shepard's Freedom 7 flight very well. I was in 8th grade and our teacher brought in a portable radio so we could listen to the launch. Very memorable day. I had 3 favorite astronauts and Shepard was one along with John Glenn, and Jim Lovell. I would have given alot to have had just a short 5 minute or so conversation with Alan Shepard. These guys in the early days had some major cojones to get locked into those tiny little capsules and ride the rocket.

@Parmen0901 4 ай бұрын

This dude was and always was…a rockstar. Of the seven Mercury Astronauts, he was chosen the best for mission 1. Without his ear problems, he was prime crew on Apollo 1. He landed on the moon..and played golf. Legend.

@SladeBling 4 ай бұрын

There was zero doubt Shepard would stick the landing.

@Lensman864 Ай бұрын

A true Steely Eyed Missile Man! R.I.P Big Al. 🫡

@hisoverlorduponhigh90 3 ай бұрын

A true American hero.

@tiamatxvxianash9202 2 ай бұрын

I feel truly honored to be able to view such historically important interviews. As a military veteran myself, I appreciated his thoughts with reference to how pilots/astronauts in those days viewed "simulators". His statement that he looked upon them as allowing one to gain confidence from the experience was very interesting. While I was an aircraft technician and served during a time where all air crew would be put through regular refresher simulator time, we would often hear them debate the pros and cons of such training. While all those that have served will agree that all the training in the world can never fully prepare you for the "No Duff" when it arrives, Alan shepherd's selection to be the first American in space and his commitment to space exploration from Mercury through Apollo is truly sacred. This is something we should all light I candle to.

@jimmystrickland1034 11 ай бұрын

Having connections gets you on the moon at 47yrs old with medical disqualification. But he did good only with Edgar’s expertise. Al was a very qualified but not experienced as other commanders.

@bartomand3681 Жыл бұрын

Here is the Medal ceremony that Alan Shepard discussed at 46:48 kzbin.info/www/bejne/aoLHXqdpq6umrsU

@ibluap 3 ай бұрын

Talking about Deke Slayton's heart condition; an Atrial Fibrilation, a type of arrithmya, Alan is right: it is an episodic diseasa that usually begins by short episodes interspersed with normal rythm. It is usually secondary to another heart disease, as a valvule failure or a long-term hypertensive disease. However in the case of Deke, it was a primary Atrial Fibrilation; that is, there was no underlying heart disease. That's not frequent, but seldom happens and generally corresponds to a congenital anomalous disposition of the pacemarker tissues in the heart. But, the problem is that being a switch-on switch-off disease; that is, only God knows when the abnormal rythm begins and when it will finish, sometimes it uses to form clots inside the atrium while it fibrilates and then, when rythm becomes normal, those clots are launched by the already normal atrium contraction via left ventriculum and aorta, anywhere in the body, however with an special preference to carothyds and the brain... and THAT is maybe the real reason why Doctors decided to ground Deke. Today it is mandatory the use of anticoagulants in people who suffers Atrial Fibrilation, just to prevent the installation of these clots inside Left Atrium and their consequences. The use of an anticoagulant in an Astronaut may be an inherent danger too, because the subtle risk of an hemorrage during a flight, however, with the years Deke proved to never show signs of repeated Atrial Fibrilation again and after years of grounding, he was finally allowed to participate in the trio of Astronauts who flew the joint mission with the Russians, back in 1975.

@maximilliancunningham6091 Жыл бұрын

55:00 apparently James McDivit was not impressed with Cernan, and the helicopter crash.

@jimmystrickland1034 11 ай бұрын

Cernan was the MOST qualified. LM and CSM.

@cmasp64 Жыл бұрын

From what I have read he was not a positive influence on the new 9 or 14. he was feared and avoided for the most part and that is a shame.

@jimmystrickland1034 11 ай бұрын

Had the hand shake with the top brass. Had no business going on 14 but did an average job. Edgar Mitchell preformed the radar work around and abort flag.

@toucheturtle3840 4 ай бұрын

First time I’ve listened to an Al Shepherd interview. Thoroughly enjoyable.

@mmkdd 9 ай бұрын

Hero…

@maximilliancunningham6091 Жыл бұрын

Extrodinarily intelligent man. Awesome in fact, and talk about determination. I think he was only matched by Borman.

@UfoDan100 2 жыл бұрын

Today , in our world where every detail about our lives must be known and policed you could never use an alias name to get a medical improvement surgery done under the table. Shepard was smart and savvy , thus pushed himself into bigger greatness and hopefully didn't hurt anyone moving up the ''ladder''.

@jshepard152 Жыл бұрын

That was fairly common among the early astronauts. They all knew that one trip to the NASA flight surgeon could be the end of their careers.