Cmdr. Alan B. Shepard Jr. becomes the first Project Mercury astronaut to cross the space frontier. His flight in Freedom 7 lasts 15 minutes, 28 seconds, reaches an altitude of 116.5 miles, and ends 303.8 miles downrange.
With no end to the government shutdown in sight, Airmen, Guardians, and defense civilians face increasing uncertainty about whether or not they will be paid—and how to make ends meet if they are not.
