The First American in Space

American History Hit

History Hit

America, History

4.5 • 1.3K Ratings

🗓️ 2 February 2023

⏱️ 44 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

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Summary

In Spring 1961, the Space Race between the US and Soviet Union was well underway. Russian cosmonaut Yuri Gagarin became the first person in Space in April and the Americans knew his achievement had to be matched. Alan Shepard was chosen as the man for the job. Jay Gallentine tells Don how we went from satellites, to dogs, then humans in space; as the competition outside Earth's atmosphere intensified between the US and the USSR.

Produced and mixed by Benjie Guy. Senior Producer: Charlotte Long.

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Transcript

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0:00.0	Once upon a time in medieval England, there was a young king who would do just about anything for his favorite night.
0:06.5	They were inseparable.
0:08.5	With love at the front of a king's mind, instead of war or ambition, you'd think the kingdom would be in for a golden
0:15.0	era of peace. But England is headed for the most catastrophic collapse seen for hundreds of
0:20.4	years. The saga continues, Join me Dan Jones on This is History, a Dynasty to
0:26.4	Die for. Available wherever you get your podcasts. It's 933 a.m. on the morning of May 5, 1961. At Cape Canaveral, Florida, Freedom 7 is moments away from liftoff.
0:44.4	Its mission, to carry the first American into space.
0:48.2	Delays to the launch have left astronaut Alan Shepard lying on his back in the space capsule
0:52.4	for three hours. The lengthy pause
0:54.5	has already forced Shepard to urinate inside his space suit. For a flight scheduled to last
0:59.3	only 20 minutes, NASA made no provision for that part of this human endeavor.
1:05.1	One month earlier, Russian cosmonaut Yuri Gagarin had become the first man to reach
1:09.0	space.
1:10.0	Now the United States is urgently seeking to gain lost ground.
1:15.4	At 934, Freedom 7 successfully blasts off, watched by gawking crowds in attendance and 45 million
1:22.2	people on U. on US television.
1:24.4	More than a hundred miles above Earth, the space capsule separates and Shepard takes manual
1:28.8	control.
1:29.8	Thirteen minutes later, he splashes down in the Atlantic, just off the Bahamas.
1:35.0	The mission is a resounding success. The U.S. has caught up to the Soviet Union for the moment.
1:40.8	But later that same year, President Kennedy ups the ante and announces his
1:45.3	momentous challenge to the nation that Americans shall be the first to walk on the
	...

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