Page 7 - Cal Shepard News Today : Breaking News, Live Updates & Top Stories | Vimarsana

>> as we develop the spacecraft, almost everything we do deals with the risky side of the business. we recognize we can get killed flying spacecraft, like we can get killed flying t-33s or t-38s or driving my corvette. we have a job that's fascinating and it's worth the risk. >> al shepard was a natural leader. he got the first ride into space. >> the shirley temple program usually seen at this time will not be presented in order that we may bring you the following special broadcast. >> within the next few days, from this guarded wasteland, the first american will be launched into space. he wi...

>> if there is shepard, can you tell us what are your feelings on this occasion? >> i don't have to tell you, do i? i'm so happy. it was beautiful, i thought. >> the gagarin flight was a 10. al shepard's flight was a 1 or a 2, okay in terms of the capability that it demonstrated. so russians clearly were ahead of us, so the attitude is we would like to do something really big, but small enough so that we could accomplish it. >> i believe that this nation should commit itself to achieving the goal before this decade is out of landing a man on the moon and returning him safely to the earth. no s...

>> since you brought up the ice age, i was do you go a tour of our museum, you helped to develop the indian portion there. i was giving a tour and somebody said that the early indians had interacted and hunted wooly mammoths. i had not heard that before. since you talk about the ice age, is that true, that the very earliest indians would? >> yes, wooly mammoths, mastodons most likely. yeah, they did. had existed here. there were people here. naturally, they hunted them. you have to go way back in time to the ice age. if you have people back there, yes, they hunted those. they didn't ...

but have i experienced doing that in the open ocean. with sea lab. >> that kind of brings us right back to where we started. sometime back you had described, if you will, your acquaintance, the working relationship with cousteau. so right now, you moved out of the realm of astronaut, let's move to transition. first of all, what you did after your flight became fairly common knowledge, and i think you were privy to the fact that you probably would not fly again. is that right? >> well, you know, not at the time of my choice. i got really fascinated with this idea that i discussed with...

you ready to go, scott? >> let's go. >> you were born near colorado. anything that that background that led to your becoming an astronaut? >> not that i can think of skeptical coal mots. >> from there you went down to low country, meeving the navy. right down to sea level. why navy? >> well i was a naval aviate. but how in the world i got an affection for the deep blue ocean, having grown up in the high country of colorado, i don't know. i've pondered that question a lot and can't answer it for you. >> there is an evolution there, nonetheless though, because i see in your background,...