Shepard Says Might Will Encourage
Further Exploration of Space Program
WASHINGTON W> — Cmdr.
Alan B. Shepard said the flight
which made him America’s first
spaceman will encourage him and
his associates to press on with the
program of exploration.
“All in all, we were very much
encouraged, and we intend to press
ahead with the program.” he told
his first news conference.
Shepard began his talk to the
assembled newsmen by intro
ducing his wife and parents, who
were in the audience. He also in
troduced “my sister Polly,” Mrs.
Gorman Sherman, who responded
with a fighter’s over-the-head
handshake. Shepard also present
ed his wife’s parents.
He said he considers there are
several significant things about
the flight from Cape Canaveral.
“We feel very strongly that this
particular flight was one that
was certainly accomplished in the
open,” he said. “We had very few
secrets about our plans.”
He said the possibility of
“speeding this up because of other
events” — possibly a reference
to the Soviet man in space ac
complishment — was considered
but not all the speed-up was
adopted.
Lift-Off Was Smooth
Shepard said he was surprised
that the lift-off for the flight was
as smooth as it was.
“I had expected more noise and
more vibration. It was a very
pleasant lift-off.”
He noted that he actually con
trolled the vehicle at times. He
said that he had controlled the
re-entry into the earth’s atmos
phere.
Shepard said he made the re
mark, “oh what a beautiful view,”
after he first took hold of the con
trols and was able to look through
I the periscope.
He said he had been pretty
well briefed about what to ex
pect. But when he actually look
ed through the periscope, “I have
to admit it took my breath away.
It was a beautiful sight.”
“What was the worst part of
your flight?” a questioner asked.
“I don’t think we had any bad
moments at all,” Shepard replied.
He was asked about “unexpect
ed sensations” he had felt, in
cluding some turbulence that had
not been foreseen.
“What I was referring to,” he
said “were two specific points in
the flight plan which we had
judged to be of special stress,;
one the trans-sonic period at
Mach 1.” Another, he said, in
volved pressure. “We didn’t know
how we would react,” he said.
“Fortunately we reacted pretty
well.”
He used the word “we” fre
quently in the news conference
with the obvious intent to let
the other space aspirants share
the glory with him.
Flight Built Up to 11 Gs
Shepard said the flight built up
to 11 Gs — eleven times the force
of gravity — before the pressure
eased off on the downward trip.
Shepard was requested to ask
his fellow astronauts which one
of them wanted to take the next
flight.
“How about it fellows? Shepard
asked, and all the astronauts
! raised their hands.
What are you dreaming about
next? he was asked.
Shepard said, “as has been
pointed out here, our present
plans are to continue ahead with
project Mercury.”
He said the plan is to achieve
1 orbital flight; beyond that, he
Postmaster Gen. Day to
Survey On-the-Spot
Alaskan Postal Facilities
WASHINGTON WV—Postmaster j
General J. Edward Day will make
an on-the-spot survey of Alaskan
postal facilities this weekend, the j
Post Office Department announced
Tuesday.
Day will be the first member
of President Kennedy’s cabinet to j
visit Alaska.
With him on the trip will be j
Sen. Ernest Gruening; James F.
Kelleher, special assistant to Day; j
and Sidney W. Bishop, confi
dential assistant to Day.
They will arrive in Anchorage
by plane about 9:25 p. m. Friday <
and will stay in Alaska until Sun- !
day morning, May 14, when they j
will leave by plane from An
chorage for Seattle.
While in Anchorage, they will
participate in the dedication of
the U. S. Post Office annex at
the International Airport there.
Village of Noorvik Allocated i
$3,360 in Depressed Area Funds
JUNEAU UP> — Gov. Egan yes
terday approved the allocation of
$3,360 in state depressed area
funds to the village of Noorvik.
The state funds will be used
to help pay labor costs involved
in resurfacing approximately 2,000
feet of streets and trails.
continued, isn’t the astronauts’
responsibility, although they of
course have thoughts about it.
Shepard said that “during the
period of the minutes of weight
lessness, I realized that somebody
was going to ask that question, so
I said to myself I better figure
out an answer.”
He said it was quite a pleasant
sensation. He said the astronauts
had found even in practice weight
lessness flights by plane that they
had no difficulty about maneu
vering, and, he continued, his
space flight Friday bore this out.
Vice President Johnson
On Special Mission
To South Viet Nam
HONOLULU UP — Vice Presi
dent Lyndon Johnson left this
morning on the second leg of his
special mission to southeast Asia
for urgent talks with South Viet
Nam’s President Ngo Dinh Diem.
In a statement prepared for his
departure at Hickam Air Force
Base Johnson declared that “to be
responsible to its great trust, the
United States must and will
maintain its strength and vigi
lance.”
“We are engaged in a decisive
competition in which we will be
measured by the efforts we make
as much as by the end we at
tain,” he said.
Johnson emphasized that the
answer to “Communism’s devious
ness is our own determination.”
SOUND SLEEPER . . .
PITTSBURGH UP — Bruce
Wolfe reported to police Monday
that someone stole $600 from the
trunk of his car while he was
asleep on the front seat.
He said the thief broke open
the ventilator window, unlocked
a back door, removed the back
seat, reached into the trunk and
took a bag containing $600 in $20
mills.
Everybody Travels First Class!
MOSCOW UP — Engineers have
completed the blueprints for a
30,000-ton passenger liner to carry
a thousand tourists, Tass said, and
“in keeping with democratic prin
ciples” the ship will not be par
titioned among first-, second- and
third-class passengers.
Cardinal Spellman Has Surgery
NEW YORK UP—Francis Car
dinal Spellman, 72, was reported
resting comfortably today follow
' ing an eye operation.
Bill to Reduce Time for
Filing Adverse Claims
Okayed by Committee
WASHINGTON UR — A bill to
i reduce the time permitted in Alas
! ka for filing adverse claims and
suits on mining patents was ap
proved today by the House In
terior Committee.
Present mining law allows more
than eight months to institute
such actions in Alaska. In other
states the limit is 90 days.
The Alaska time provision was
adopted in 1910 because of then
existing transportation and com
munication difficulties.
Rep. Ralph Rivers, author of
the bill, said it would make the
same limits apply to Alaska as
now do to the other states.
The committee adopted an
amendment suggested by Rivers
limiting the bill to actions insti
tuted after passage of the meas
ure.
300 Americans Stuck In Cuba
WASHINGTON Wi — The State
Department says at least 300 Am
ericans want to leave Cuba and
can’t get exit permits from the
Castro government. An undetei
mined number of American citi
zens also are in Cuban jails.
The State Department has ad
vised all Americans to leave
Cuba. The government of Prime
Minister Fidel Castro requires
foreigners to get exit permits.
High cost of living dept.: Ever
notice how many people now say
“Thanks a billion” instead _ ol
“thanks a million?”
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