Astronaut Alan Shepard on U.S. Champlain after recovery of Mercury capsule

S88-31380 (5 May 1961) --- Astronaut Alan B. Shepard Jr., strides across the deck of the U.S. Navy Carrier Champlain following an inspection of his Freedom 7 capsule. Shepard had just completed the first manned U.S. space mission, a 15-minute suborbital flight. (NASA Hq. Photo No., MR3-40) Photo credit: NASA or National Aeronautics and Space Administration