Alan Shepard quotes

Alan Shepard was an American astronaut and naval aviator, recognized as the first American to travel into space. His historic flight aboard Freedom 7 marked a key milestone in the early era of space exploration. He later commanded Apollo 14 and became the fifth person to walk on the Moon. Here are 53 of his quotes:

We're going to see passengers in space stations in 15 years, who will be able to buy a ticket and spend a weekend in space.

Alan Shepard

I just wanted to be the first one to fly for America, not because I'd end up in the pages of history books.

Alan Shepard

I think about the personal accomplishment, but there's more of a sense of the grand achievement by all the people who could put this man on the moon.

Alan Shepard

The fact that every part of this ship was built by the low bidder.

Alan Shepard

I must admit, maybe I am a piece of history after all.

Alan Shepard

Whether you are an astronomer or a life scientist, geophysicist, or a pilot, you've got to be there because you believe you are good in your field, and you can contribute, not because you are going to get a lot of fame or whatever when you get back.

Alan Shepard

I guess those of us who have been with NASA kind of understand the tremendous excitement and thrills and celebrations and national pride that went with the Apollo program is just something you're not going to create again, probably until we go to Mars.

Alan Shepard

There's no question that all the generations got excited about the first flights, with Kennedy's inspiration to go to the moon, leaving the planet for the first time, and fortunately coming back.

Alan Shepard

I can hit it farther on the moon. But actually, my swing is better here on Earth.

Alan Shepard

We need a continuing presence in space.

Alan Shepard

I know you're all saying I can go to the moon but I can't find Pasadena.

Alan Shepard

We worked with the engineers in the design and construction and testing phases in those various areas, then we would get back together at the end of the week and brief each other as to what had gone on.

Alan Shepard

We had some adverse conditions in the '60s, in the '70s and the '80s. The agency has risen above that in the past and will rise above that again.

Alan Shepard

It's a very sobering feeling to be up in space and realize that one's safety factor was determined by the lowest bidder on a government contract.

Alan Shepard

Now that we've lost Alan Shepard, I can't help feeling that something is wrong with this picture; astronauts aren't supposed to grow old and leave this Earth forever. In our memories, they remain as Shepard was on that sunny Friday morning in May 1961, when he lay inside a tiny Mercury capsule ready to be hurled into space atop a Redstone booster.

Alan Shepard

You may not have any extra talent, but maybe you are just paying more attention to what you are doing.

Alan Shepard

You know, being a test pilot isn't always the healthiest business in the world.

Alan Shepard

Obviously I was challenged by becoming a Naval aviator, by landing aboard aircraft carriers and so on.

Alan Shepard

I'd like to say I was smart enough to finish six grades in five years, but I think perhaps the teacher was just glad to get rid of me.

Alan Shepard

The pilot looked at his cues of attitude and speed and orientation and so on and responded as he would from the same cues in an airplane, but there was no way it flew the same. The simulators had showed us that.

Alan Shepard

I think the sense of family and family achievement, plus the discipline which I received there from that one-room school were really very helpful in what I did later on.

Alan Shepard

We wanted to be in great shape, we wanted to be able to cope with zero gravity, we wanted to be able to cope with accelerations and decelerations and so on. So all of us trained so that we were probably in the best physical condition we had ever been in up until that point.

Alan Shepard