Annotated Bibliography
Primary Sources
Administrator, NASA Content. “Mercury Astronauts John Glenn, Gus Grissom and Alan Shepard.” NASA, NASA, 5 May 2016,
The picture shows Alan Shephard with two other Mercury astronauts. It is important because it shows that even after Alan went into space once he didn’t just stop he and other astronauts continued to explore space and discover other things.
Alan Shepard Anniversary . Youtube , 5 May 2019.
This is a great source because it shows us the real videos of Alan Shepard on his journey to space. This video shows Alan Shepard’s journey to space and back. He paved the way for additional space milestones to be met, as we can see in the video.
Admiral Alan B. Shepard, Jr., USN. Academy of Achievement , 9 Aug. 2019,
This website gives us some great primary sources. It gives some great pictures of Alan Shepard’s journey to becoming the first American to space. And it also gives us a quote that he said.
Alan Shepard Becomes the First American in Space. History.com, A&E Television Networks, 24 Nov. 2009,
This shows the actual newspapers from that time period. It offers us with a credible primary source. It will be used to show how the news got out and spread about Shepherd's successful launch into space and shows how this was such a momentous barrier for America to break in this time period.
“Alan Shepard.” Artemis Wiki,
This is a good primary source. Pictures are important in websites and provide good visuals and can help you picture the time period. This is a picture of Alan Shephard in his space suit.
“Alan Shepard: PBS World Explorers.” PBS LearningMedia, PBS LearningMedia, 1 Dec. 2019,
The background of the picture has the American flag and the earth. The picture also includes Alan Shephard. As a whole it shows history made for America, as well as how history was being changed throughout the whole world involving space discovery. Alan Shephard played a very important role in that change for America.
“Alan Shepard.” Wikipedia, Wikimedia Foundation, 26 Dec. 2019,
This pictures shows Alan Shephard shaking hands with the president and other important people. This is a good primary source because it helps to show the time period. This will be displayed as part of the slideshow on the front page of the website.
“Alan Shepard.” Wikipedia, Wikimedia Foundation, 26 Dec. 2019,
This is a picture of Alan Shephard standing in front of the American flag. This picture shows how Alan Shephard was a statement for America in that time period, everyone knew who he was and knew his face. This picture will be used on our website.
Atkinson, Nancy. “Alan Shepard: Complicated, Conflicted and the Consummate Astronaut. Universe Today, 24 Dec. 2015,
The picture provides the viewers with a visual behind the name, Alan Shephard. It shows Alan Shephard right before take off. It also shows his space suit and how different the suits looked compared to now.
Astronaut Alan Shepard Hit A Golf Ball Off The Moon 45 Years Ago. Featured, CBS Local Sports, 6 Feb. 2016,
The moon landing was very significant to our topic. Without Alan Shephard Neil Armstrong would never have been the first man on the moon and America would never have one the space race. This source is also very interesting to look at and analyze.
“BBC ON THIS DAY | 5 | 1961: Shepard Becomes First US Astronaut.” BBC News, BBC, 5 May 1961,
This picture depicts Alan Shephard aboard the mercury 3 capsule. This was a great day for Alan Shephard, NASA, as well as a day that will never be forgotten by all American people. This is another picture that will be apart of the slideshow on the front page of the website.
CBS News. “Moon Walkers.” CBS News, CBS Interactive, 20 July 2014,
When Alan Shephard went to the moon he went with Ed Mitchell who is shown in this photo next to him. This helps to show that Alan did not just go into space one time but he also went to the moon. He contributed so much to space and that shows importance through this image.
Doughty, Caitlin. “What Happens to Your Body If You Die in Space?” Popular Mechanics, 18 Oct. 2019,
This is a background picture. Backgrounds provide good spunk and make the website look more cool and fun to look at. This is a picture of space and the earth which is important and relates to the topic of space.
Dunbar, Brian. “Mercury-Redstone 3 (18).” NASA, NASA, 20 Feb. 2015,
This patch was very important in the overall mission. Freedom 7 was the first mission into space, with Alan Shephard breaking that physical atmosphere barrier. The patch signifies Alan’s trip to space as well as how the “overall objective of project Mercury was to determine man’s capabilities in space.”
Dunbar, Brian. “NASA, Space Community Remember 'Freedom 7'.” NASA, NASA, 27 Feb. 2015,
This is a great source because it shows us the real videos of Alan Shepard on his journey to space. This video shows Alan Shepard’s journey to space and back. He paved the way for additional space milestones to be met, as we can see in the video.
Dunbar, Brian. “United States-Soviet Space Cooperation during the Cold War.” NASA, NASA,
This is a satellite picture taken of the freedom. This was put in space by the Americans and the Soviets were not invited onto the project which they got mad about. This picture will be used on the website.
Erwin, Sandra, and Sandra Erwin. “Artificial Intelligence Arms Race Accelerating in Space.” SpaceNews.com, 4 May 2018,
This is a picture being used as a background of a website page. It is a picture of the earth and space which relates to the topic of space discovery. The value that this offers is that it makes the website more interesting to look at and not boring and bland.
Godlewski, Nina. “It's Been 58 Years since Alan Shepard Blasted off to Space and Made American History.” Newsweek, Newsweek, 5 May 2018,
This picture shows the Mercury 3 capsule in the water and the marines picking up Alan Shephard after a successful mission into space. This will be used as a part of the slideshow on the first page of our website. History had been made in that moment which is what makes the picture important.
Lunsford, Christine. “Mercury Redstone 3: Photos from Alan Shepard's Freedom 7 Spaceflight.” Space.com, Space, 7 May 2017,
This is a picture of Alan shephard as he completed being the first American in space. This is a good primary source because it shows that the mission was successful. It shows that from that point on the fate of space will expand and we will grow our research for years to come.
Petersen, Carolyn Collins. “Alan Shepard: First American in Space.” ThoughtCo, ThoughtCo, 31 Mar. 2019,
This is another picture of Alan Shephard. He was apart of the navy in his younger years with gives us some insight into what his life was before becoming the first American in space. It gives background with is important to include.
Picryl. “Astronaut Alan Shepard Onboard Helicopter after Recovery of Mercury Capsule - PICRYL Public Domain Image.” PICRYL, PICRYL, 5 Dec. 2019,
This picture was taken right as Alan Shephard got out of the Mercury 3 capsule and completed his mission. You can see the pure excitement on the completion because he risked his life for America, the mission could have gone very wrong. Important because it shows and proves that it was a successful mission.
Rincon, Paul. “Apollo 14 Moon Shot: Alan Shepard 'Told He Was Too Old'.” BBC News, BBC, 4 Feb. 2011,
Pictures can be used to show emotion. This pictures show how happy Alan Shephard was. He made American history as well as changed American history forever. Nothing should stop him from being proud and happy for his country.
Sexton, Chrissy. “Space Radiation May Cause Memory and Learning Impairment among Astronauts • Earth.com.” Earth.com, 8 May 2019,
This is a picture being used as a background of a website page. It is a primary source that gives the site an interesting touch. It is of space which helps relate it to our topic of Alan Shephard being the first American in space.
Shepard, Alan. “Alan Shepard Quotes.” Brainy Quote, 21 July 1998,
This is a great primary source because it gives us some of Alan Shepard’s quotes that he actually said. It also gives us an insight as to what he was thinking in his younger years. And also what he thought while he was up in space.
Skillings, Jon. “Alan Shepard's Landmark Space Flight (Photos).” CNET, 10 June 2011,
This is a picture of the astronauts that we expected to be the first into space from America. Alan shepard was a part of that group and he actually ended up being the first one to go into space. This is one of the pictures that will be included on the website.
Staff, Science X. “Transforming Urine into Water: Astronauts to Install New Space Station Water System.” Phys.org, Phys.org, 15 Nov. 2008,
This is a picture of the water filtration up in space. Alan Shephard did not have this since he was not in space for very long. Since his mission was successful America was able to make a lot of technological advances and new technologies were invented because of space discovery. This is a primary source because it is an original picture of a system.
The Editors of Encyclopaedia Britannica. “Mercury.” Encyclopædia Britannica, Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc., 23 July 2018,
The picture provides the viewers with a visual of the Mercury 7, or the rocket. As it takes off the perfect picture is snapped and gives a clear picture of the rocket. We plan on using this picture, to not only provide a visual but provide a description under the picture on our website.
“The Space Race, Part 2 - Gemini And Apollo.” The Space Race, Part 2 - Gemini And Apollo | Knowitall.org. Accessed January 5, 2020.
This is a secondary source because it is not taken of a specific person or place, etc in that specific time period, instead it was digitally made. This source provides good information on the cold war/space race. It shows that America and the Soviet Union were the main countries involved in the space race.
“TIME Magazine Cover: Alan Shepard - May 12, 1961.” Time, Time Inc.,
This is a picture of the cover of TIME magazine. It shows how the news of Alan Shephard being the first American in space spread throughout America. It was spread in many other ways as well, this was just a popular magazine during that time period.
Wall, Mike. “Alan Shepard's Space Race: Soviet Victory Frustrated First American in Space.” Space.com, Space, 5 May 2011,
This picture/diagram picks out the most important parts of the rocket. As showing us visuals of the rocket, it also explains how it works and specific areas in more depth. We can use this source to give the viewers a visual of the rocket and what’s inside of it.
Williams, Matt. “Who Was The First Man To Go Into Space?” Universe Today, 30 Sept. 2016,
This is a picture of Yuri G. He was the first person to ever be in space, but he wasn’t American, he was a soviet. This provides good information on the space race. Even though the soviets may have been the first to put a man in space America would end up winning the space race by putting a man on the moon, ending it.
YouTube, YouTube,
The video shows the moon landing. America was the first country to land on the moon which is very important to our topic. The reason that this is so important is because without Alan Shephard America would never have been able to put a man on the moon or with the space race against the Soviets.
Secondary Sources
“Alan Shepard Becomes the First American in Space.” History.com, A&E Television Networks, 24 Nov. 2009.
This article included information about the length (time/area) of the flight. It also includes good information on the race to space with the soviets, and how we put our first man into space just one month after the first human had been in space. I will use this article to source little details and to prove how putting the first American into space broke a barrier for America, and how without this moment in history many other moments would not have been made possible.
Alan Shepard Biography . TheFamousPeople.com, 30 May 2018,
I plan on using this information because it tells us everything about his childhood. It tells us his parents names, his children, where he attended school, and how he became the first American in space. This site will give us lots of information to use for our project.
American Flag: US Flag: Outdoor Nylon American Flag. Standard Flags,
This is a picture of the American flag. This is used in the website for many things, we have single pictures of it, but it will be used as a background as well. This is very important because we are talking about barriers being broken in America and so the flag is very useful and important in that sense.
Businesstopia. “Physical Barriers to Communication.” Businesstopia, 15 Feb. 2018,
The use of the website provides the definition of a physical barrier. This is very important because it helps us to prove what barrier Alan Shephard broke. This is also important because the theme is breaking barriers this year for NHD so it is a big thing that has to be proven, that a barrier is being broken.
Childs , Arcynta Ali. “On May 5, 1961, Alan Shepard Went to Outer Space and Came Home.” Smithsonian.com, 5 May 2011,
This website is a great source because it marks the 50th anniversary of the first American in space. It talks about Alan Shepard’s childhood and how he went into the space race. It also shares some information about the Soviet Union and the race that they had going.
Green, Josie. “Inventions We Use Everyday That Were Actually Created for Space Exploration.” USA Today, Gannett Satellite Information Network, 8 July 2019,
This was a very important secondary source I would say. It shows how if America had never been able to put a man in space we wouldn’t have so many technology, medical and just overall new inventions. Alan Shephard and NASA made so many things possible.
Gunn, Alastair. “How Far Do We Travel through Space Every Day?” BBC Science Focus Magazine,
This is a picture that will be used as a background on the website It shows a man in a space suit. This picture relates to our theme because it shows space and our topic is all about the first American going into space. This is a secondary source because the space man was photoshopped into the photo.
History.com Editors. “Cold War History.” History.com, A&E Television Networks, 27 Oct. 2009,
This is an important secondary source because it provides good information on the cold war. The cold war is very important because it shows the time period and what was happening at that point in time when Alan Shephard went to space. This will be part of the historical context tab on the website.
Petty, John Ira. “Alan Shepard, First American Astronaut, Dies at 74.” NASA, 17 May 2008,
This information on this site is NASA telling us about Alan Shepard because he passed away. They share some of their favorite things about him. And they also share good facts about how he was chosen and how he was a hero.
Potter, Ned. “ Top 5 Things You Didn't Know About Alan Shepard, First American Astronaut in Space.” ABC News, 5 May 2011,
This source shows the top five things that we didn’t know about Alan Shepard. Out of all of the sources I have read this source gives me details that I didn’t know about him. Such as how Shepard’s assignment to fly the Freedom 7 was kept a secret until the planned launch day.
“The Space Race and Apollo 11.” UKEssays.com,
This timeline was used as a reference for the timeline picture that we made. This is a secondary source. This is important because it provides information on everything to do with everything, the cold war, the space race, Alan Shephard, etc.
“Space Race Timeline.” Royal Museums Greenwich | UNESCO World Heritage Site In London, 7 Nov. 2019,
This is a good secondary source. This provides all the information we need on the space race timeline. It shows how the soviets start off, but despite their advancements it shows how America in the end was able to win the space race.
Spangenburg, Ray, and Kit Moser. Project Mercury. Franklin Watts, 2001,
This book tells us about Project Mercury. It not only tells us about Alan Shepard, but it also tells us about the last three missions and beyond Mercury. It also shows how NASA was born and how it became what it is today.
The Editors of Encyclopaedia Britannica. “Mercury.” Encyclopædia Britannica, Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc., 23 July 2018,
This secondary source offers good information about the whole mercury mission. This is important to be able to know about the mission and just general information on the successfulness of the mission. It also has a picture of the freedom 7 which was the rocket that Alan Shehard traveled to space in.
Wall, Mike. “Alan Shepard's Space Race: Soviet Victory Frustrated First American in Space.” Space.com, Space, 5 May 2011,
This secondary source is essential in knowing what was going on during the space race. It explains how the Soviet Union beat Alan Shepard in the race to space too. This website also includes pictures and websites to incorporate more information.
Wall, Mike. “FAQ: Alan Shepard's Historic Flight as First American in Space .” Space.com, 4 May 2011,
This source offers lots of information about that day. It shows pictures, dates, and time frames of when certain events took place. This website also asks questions giving us more insight as to what the day was like.
YouTube, YouTube, 21 Aug. 2017,
This is one of the media’s we are using, in this case it is music. The reason that this is a secondary source is because it is not the original video of the music. This is important because it gives a more American feel to the website. Shows it is about American history.