The astronaut Alan Shepard died at the age of 74. Here is all you want to know, and more!
Biography - A Short Wiki
Test pilot who in 1961 became the first U.S. astronaut and second human being in space. He was also the fifth person to walk the Moon and celebrated by hitting two golf balls from the Moon’s surface.
He married Louise Brewer in 1945 and the couple had three daughters together, Laura, Alice and Juliana.
Quotes
"“You have to be there not for the fame and glory and recognition and being a page in a history book, but you have to be there because you believe your talent and ability can be applied effectively to operation of the spacecraft.” (Alan Shepard)
"“Later, in the early teens, I used to ride my bike every Saturday morning to the nearest airport, ten miles away, push airplanes in and out of the hangars, and clean up the hangars.” (Alan Shepard)
"“You’ve done it in the simulator so many times, you don’t have a real sense of being excited when the flight is going on. You’re excited before, but as soon as the liftoff occurs, you are busy doing what you have to do.” (Alan Shepard)
"“Then there was the challenge to keep doing better and better, to fly the best test flight that anybody had ever flown. That led to my being recognized as one of the more experienced test pilots, and that led to the astronaut business.” (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)