The makeshift club Shepard used in space may be the artifact that got away-the Smithsonian’s National Air and Space Museum only has a replica, donated by Shepard in 1975. And while it never really went “miles and miles and miles,” as he boasted that day, the 200-yard shot certainly went farther than it would have on Earth, with six times the gravitational pull, which is the aspect he wanted to demonstrate. It was a brash idea and a terrible swing-the inflated pressure of the space suit made it so stiff he could only swing with one hand. And February 6 is the golden anniversary of his famous tee off on the Moon, the final flourish of the Apollo 14 mission. But he may have gotten a bigger kick with one of his last acts in space 50 years ago-whacking a golf ball on the Moon.īoth events mark milestone anniversaries this year-his 15-minute Freedom 7 suborbital launch as a Mercury astronaut occurred 60 years ago this May 5.
Cuban / Allsport and Īlan Shepard earned his place in history as the first American in space.
Illustration by Meilan Solly / Photographs via NASA, J.
“I thought: What a neat place to whack a golf ball.” Alan Shepard, who was both an astronaut and a golf lover, said he got the idea while training for his Apollo 14 mission.
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