May 1, 2010 launch of Mercury Joe, a 7 foot tall scale model of MR-3 by Jamie Clay (photo from LUNAR gallery)

May 5, 1961 launch of Freedom 7 atop MR-3 (photo from NASA archives)

Freedom. A fitting name for the second small step.

Freedom 7.

The second small step for the inhabitants of this planet to leave this planet.

On May 5, 1961, Alan Shepard climbed aboard Freedom 7, atop a Redstone booster, admonished his support team to “light this candle” (after they had given him the go to “do it in the suit”!) and become the second person in space, the first American astronaut. Today marks the 49th anniversary of that flight, that very short flight, that second small step.

(Thanks to Jamie Clay for Mercury Joe.)