Astronaut Alan Shepard onboard helicopter after recovery of Mercury capsule

S88-31383 (5 May 1961) --- Astronaut Alan B. Shepard Jr., Mercury-Redstone 3 (MR-3) pilot, jokes with doctors while in-flight between the U.S. Navy Carrier Champlain and the Grand Bahama Islands. Shepard is the first American in space with the successful completion of the 15-minute suborbital mission. Photo credit: NASA or National Aeronautics and Space Administration