They Shot for the Moon

Alan Shepard was one of the original Mercury Seven astronauts and the first American in space. In some circles, he may be remembered as the man who made the most out of this world golf shot. During the mission of Apollo XIV, January 21, 1971, Shepard, an avid golfer, drove two golf balls on the surface of the moon with the head of a six iron attached to the handle of a rock collector. After his two golf shots, Shepard, along with Ed Mitchell, climbed aboard Antares and lifted off to join Stu Roosa orbiting in Kitty Hawk. He had been on the moon over 33 hours. Shepard had almost not made it to the moon after having been temporarily grounded with Ménière's syndrome, an inner ear condition that leads to disorientation, dizziness and nausea. Alan Shepard died in 1998.