05 May 1961
Page 1
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Newspaper
Winchester Evening Star
Location
Winchester, Virginia, United States of America
Date
May 05, 1961
Page
1
Astronaut Alan B. Shepard Jr prepares for the launch from Cape Canaveral after a delay. He and backup pilot John H. Glenn Jr rest and rehearse with the Redstone rocket and 3,000-pound capsule as officials report their calm readiness for the high altitude mission.
Reports from Havana describe mass terror against regime opponents. Detainees crowded into Blanquita Palace with near famine conditions as typhoid cases rise. Militia guards used bloodhounds while prisoners reportedly attempted uprisings.
Mrs A R LaFollette reported a silver balloon seen near five to eight while driving to town. later she noted stripes in the sky and speculation about a space flight. Police replaced two stop lights and will begin checking city auto tags tomorrow as residents reported a rainbow around the sun and a seventh grader reported the event.
Navy medical officer Lt. Cmdr. Victor G. Prather died after a 25 foot fall from a rescue helicopter while being hoisted from a balloon gondola that reached 113 500 feet in a record Gulf of Mexico flight. His companion Cmdr. Malcolm Ross survived. The incident occurred about 140 miles south southeast of Pensacola, Florida, after a near perfect landing and loss of a drag line hampering recovery.
Washington reports the main Communist push shifts from Laos to South Vietnam as guerrilla forces near 12 000 strong supported by the Soviet Union. The White House discusses possible U S forces and steps to reinforce Diem with President Kennedy and Senator Fulbright signaling readiness to aid if needed.
In Hin Heab Laos military officers from the royal government and pro Communist rebels met for 64 minutes seeking a cease fire. No conclusive agreements were reached. The western backed regime sent Brig Gen Sing Rattanasamay leading an all military delegation to push for cease fire before coalition talks and Geneva representation.
Authorities investigate a series of false alarms to the Fire Department Rescue Squad and Omps Ambulance Service around 2 a.m. at 406 National Ave Glen Burnie Amherst St and 314 W Cecil St all found nothing amiss and houses dark. The service said they would prosecute to the extent of the law.
CAPE CANAVERAL FL. AP The United States first space man Alan B Shepard Jr. rose to about 115 miles high on a 15 minute suborbital flight reaching 302 miles downrange. The capsule splashed into the water and Shepard was quickly transferred to the carrier Lake Champlain. Officials called the mission a test of man’s ability to perform tasks in space as NASA plans to orbit later this year.
President Kennedy praised the U S space program and spoke by phone and radio with Cmdr. Alan B. Shepard Jr. after his spaceflight and safe splashdown at sea.
Mrs Shepard spoke to reporters from her Virginia Beach porch after watching the Cape Canaveral rocket blast. She shared that Alan Shepard said everything was fine, and she noted film of the event on TV and a transistor radio. The gathering included her parents and relatives.
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