Listen to the NASA press release from April 26, 1961, announcing the first astronaut flight of Project Mercury. Hear details of the astronaut's many tasks during a 15-minute up-and-down flight featuring five minutes of weightlessness. This was the mission flown by Alan Shepard on May 5, 1961, although the press release does not name the pilot who would be selected to fly.

You can support The Forgotten Bookshelf and get a bonus reading of an essay by Edgar Allan Poe. Please go to https://www.buymeacoffee.com/theforgottenbookshelf/extras, and thank you!