Freedom 7

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The Freedom 7 spaceflight was the first human spaceflight by the USA and took place on 5 May 1961, with Alan Shepard as the astronaut. It was part of Project Mercury, which was the USA's first attempts to bring an astronaut into orbit around the Earth.

Project Mercury continued through Faith 7 on 15 May 1963 when, as anyone who has seen The Right Stuff knows, "on that glorious day in May 1963, Gordo Cooper went higher, farther, and faster than any other American - 22 complete orbits around the world; he was the last American ever to go into space alone. And for a brief moment, Gordo Cooper became the greatest pilot anyone had ever seen. "

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On that glorious day in May 1963, Gordo Cooper went higher, farther, and faster than any other American - 22 complete orbits around the world; he was the last American ever to go into space alone. And for a brief moment, Gordo Cooper became the greatest pilot anyone had ever seen.