First U.S. suborbital manned space flight.After reaching peak altitude of 116 miles and a velocity of 5,180 mph, the Mercury capsule landed in the Atlantic Ocean 302 miles downrange following a 14.8 minute flightAstronaut and capsule were recovered by a helicopter within six minutes of landing. The flight demonstrated that a human can control a space vehicle during weightlessness, high gravity systems and suffer no adverse physiological effects.Three days later at the White House, President Kennedy presented Shepard with NASA's Distinguished Service Medal.Launch Date: May 5, 1961, 9:34 AM ESTLaunch Vehicle: Mercury-Redstone.Spacecraft unofficially named "Freedom 7'Crew: Alan B. Shepard, Jr.