40. [Mercury Redstone 3] 'MAN, WHAT A RIDE!': the triumphant return of the first American in space Alan Shepard after his historic mission aboard Freedom 7 Dean Conger, 5 May 1961 Printed 1961. Vintage gelatin silver print on fibre-based paper [NASA image 61-MR3-105]. With NASA caption numbered "61-MR3-105" on the reverse (issued by NASA Headquarters, Washington, D.C.). 20.3 x 25.4 cm. (8 x 10in.) Historical context On May 5, 1961, Alan Shepard became the first American in space. Just half an hour after liftoff, the space pioneer returned triumphantly aboard the carrier USS Lake Champlain, after the recovery helicopter had deposited both him and the Freedom 7 capsule on deck. Stepping out, his first words were, "Man, what a ride!" This photograph published both in LIFE and National Geographic symbolizes the United States' official entry into the manned Space Race with the Soviet Union. LIFE magazine (12 May 1961) chronicled the event with this caption: "While the whole nation watched with a gripping sense of personal and emotional involvement, Shepard soared off into space for the most gruelling ride any American has ever taken. The man and the machine returned safely to Earth. Then, apparently unaffected by the extreme forces of his flight, Shepard trotted easily across the carrier deck with the manner of the fighter pilot he used to be rather than that of a national hero. But Alan Shepard was a heroic figure. He did not fly as far, fast, or high as Russia's Yuri Gagarin. However, he controlled the flight of his capsule, which Gagarin did not, and carried out his fantastic mission under the relentless pressure of television and worldwide publicity." Literature NATIONAL GEOGRAPHIC, September 1961, pp. 440-441 LIFE, 12 May 1961, pp. 18-19