Shepard was born and raised in East Derry, New Hampshire, where he was very successful in school. He also did odd jobs at the local airfield to learn more about airplanes. Shepard graduated from Pinkerton Academy in Derry, New Hampshire, and earned a spot in the U.S. Naval Academy at Annapolis, Maryland in 1941. After he graduated, he served on the warship, Cogswell, towards the end of World War II. Then, Shepard studied …show more content…
Shepard was scheduled to command the first Gemini Mission, but he was diagnosed with an ear problem that affected his equilibrium, and kept him out of space for six years. He remained with NASA as the Chief of the Astronaut Office. In 1968, a surgery was performed on Shepard that fixed his equilibrium. He volunteered for a lunar space mission, but was not chosen. Then, he was going to command the Apollo 13 mission, but had to turn back mid-course. Finally, in 1971, Shepard was able to command the Apollo 14 mission to the moon.
Shepard accomplished so much even before the Apollo 14 mission. He could have just stopped working with NASA after his ear problem, but he wanted to continue to achieve his dreams. I hope that I will have this kind of mindset in my life. I want to never give up, even if it seems like my goal is impossible. It took Shepard over six years to achieve his goal of going into space again, but he kept working to achieve his dreams, and finally achieved his goal. He didn’t settle for anything less than what he wanted. Shepard has inspired me to never give up, and to chase your dreams. As you can see, Alan Shepard had a very successful and inspiring career. He has taught me a valuable lesson: to never give up no matter what. Shepard was a living example of what could happen if you stick with what you love, even through the most difficult