From Alan Shepard to Artemis, celebrating 65 years of Americans in space

The article marks 65 years since Alan Shepard became the first American in space on Freedom 7 in 1961.

Shepard’s Project Mercury flight helped prove the U.S. could launch humans and return them safely during the Cold War space race.

It links that milestone to NASA’s Artemis program, which aims to extend human spaceflight beyond low Earth orbit.

Artemis II is presented as the next step toward longer missions and future permanent infrastructure in space.