Matthew H. Hersch, Associate Professor of the History of Science, Harvard University

On May 5, 1961, astronaut Alan Shepard became the first American in space, following cosmonaut Yuri Gagarin’s mission three weeks earlier. With the United States trailing the Soviet Union in spaceflight, President John F. Kennedy closely watched the launch of Freedom 7, eager for proof that America could match Soviet... Read more about “Light this Candle!” Sixty Years of Americans in Space