Written and read by Nancy S. Lichtman

On May 5, 1961, CDR Alan Shepard became the first American in space when his Freedom 7 spacecraft was launched atop a Redstone rocket. He returned to Earth after a 15-minute suborbital flight, splashing down in the Atlantic Ocean. It was time for Marine Corps aviators to do their job.

The post From the Archive: Spacecraft Recovery first appeared on Marine Corps Association.