Moon Mission: Apollo 14
Role: Commander
Brief Bio: Alan Bartlett Shepard Jr. was an American astronaut who became the second person and the first American to travel into space in 1961, and in 1971, at age 47, he became the fifth and oldest person to walk on the Moon. A graduate of the United States Naval Academy, he served as a naval aviator and test pilot before being selected as one of the original NASA Mercury Seven astronauts in 1959.
Did you know: Alan Shepard played golf on the Moon during the Apollo 14 mission on February 6, 1971. He used a makeshift club (a 6-iron head attached to a lunar sample collection tool) to hit two golf balls on the lunar surface.
Afterward: After retiring from NASA and the Navy on July 31, 1974, Shepard served on the boards of many corporations, founded the Mercury Seven Foundation (later the Astronaut Scholarship Foundation), and made a fortune in banking and real estate.
Key Statements: "You know, being a test pilot isn't always the healthiest business in the world."
