John F. Kennedy photo

Statement by the President on the Flight of Astronaut Alan B. Shepard

May 05, 1961

ALL AMERICA rejoices in this successful flight of Astronaut Shepard. This is an historic milestone in our own exploration into space. But America still needs to work with the utmost speed and vigor in the further development of our space program. Today's flight should provide incentive to everyone in our nation concerned with this program to redouble their efforts in this vital field. Important scientific material has been obtained during this flight and this will be made available to the world's scientific community.

We extend special congratulations to Astronaut Shepard and best wishes to his family who lived through this most difficult time with him. Our thanks also go to the other Astronauts who worked so hard as a team in this project.

John F. Kennedy, Statement by the President on the Flight of Astronaut Alan B. Shepard Online by Gerhard Peters and John T. Woolley, The American Presidency Project https://www.presidency.ucsb.edu/node/234873

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