if (WIDGETBOX) WIDGETBOX.renderWidget('4691cc48-62cd-42cf-b836-4424070f7ee3');Get the Share on Facebook widget and many other great free widgets at Widgetbox! Not seeing a widget? (More info) if (WIDGETBOX) WIDGETBOX.renderWidget('4691cc48-62cd-42cf-b836-4424070f7ee3');Get the Share on Facebook widget and many other great free widgets at Widgetbox! Not seeing a widget? (More info)Tumblr (3.0; @nealthompson)http://nealthompson.tumblr.com/<img src="http://25.media.tumblr.com/3abcb24067fd8c92fc0b2a13f369367d/tumblr_miiu6e12F91ratp11o1_400.jpg"/><br/><br/><p>awesome profile by Jeff Himmelman. Great album, too.</p>http://nealthompson.tumblr.com/post/43565107028http://nealthompson.tumblr.com/post/43565107028Wed, 20 Feb 2013 06:16:42 -0800<img src="http://25.media.tumblr.com/tumblr_lkqmiyPkhx1qf3yivo1_500.jpg"/><br/><br/><p><a href="http://heckyesalanshepard.tumblr.com/post/5234172949" target="_blank">heckyesalanshepard</a>:</p> <blockquote> <p>This is one of my favorite portraits of Al.</p> </blockquote>http://nealthompson.tumblr.com/post/5244008536http://nealthompson.tumblr.com/post/5244008536Fri, 06 May 2011 07:30:59 -0700alan shepardlight this candleastronautsspacenasa<img src="http://25.media.tumblr.com/tumblr_lkr7y5LIeI1qd5t95o1_500.jpg"/><br/><br/><p><a href="http://lightthiscandle.tumblr.com/post/5234840094" target="_blank">lightthiscandle</a>:</p> <blockquote> <p>Yeeeeeeeeesss?</p> </blockquote>http://nealthompson.tumblr.com/post/5243342528http://nealthompson.tumblr.com/post/5243342528Fri, 06 May 2011 06:48:42 -0700alan shepard<img src="http://24.media.tumblr.com/tumblr_lkr8q41bsc1qd5t95o1_500.jpg"/><br/><br/><blockquote> <blockquote> <p><a href="http://lightthiscandle.tumblr.com/post/5235235290" target="_blank"><br/>lightthiscandle</a>:</p> <blockquote> <p>Last <em>Freedom 7</em> photo, and one of my favorite space pictures of all time.</p> <p>Astronauts Deke Slayton and Gus Grissom greet Alan Shepard on Grand Bahama Island after Shepard’s flight on <em>Freedom 7</em>. The looks on their faces say it all.</p> <p>To quote the excellent <a href="http://www.life.com/gallery/59671/rare-unseen-alan-shepard-may-61#index/24" target="_blank">LIFE Freedom 7 retrospective</a>, it is “an image that powerfully captures the at-once easy and intense bond among the Mercury Seven.”</p> </blockquote> </blockquote> </blockquote>http://nealthompson.tumblr.com/post/5243327769http://nealthompson.tumblr.com/post/5243327769Fri, 06 May 2011 06:47:44 -0700alan shepardNeal Thompsonastronauts<p><a href="http://crownpublishing.tumblr.com/post/5220681858" target="_blank">crownpublishing</a>:</p> <blockquote> <p><img src="http://c.gigcount.com/wildfire/IMP/CXNID=2000002.0NXC/bT*xJmx*PTEzMDQ2MTQwMTcwODkmcHQ9MTMwNDYxNDAyMzUwOSZwPTY1OTQwMSZkPSZnPTEmbz*3ZTlhNjRlNmE3ZjA*MWM4YTU*/ZTdkZWVhNWE5YTQ5MiZvZj*w.gif" height="0" width="0" border="0"/><object height="475" width="500" data="http://files.photosnack.net/app/swf/EmbedCanvas.swf?v=3&amp;hash_id=51e67af1ca1b644bfe1b6cdcca870688&amp;t=1304614002" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" id="embededPhotosnackFlash_51e67af1ca1b644bfe1b6cdcca870688"> <param value="http://files.photosnack.net/app/swf/EmbedCanvas.swf?v=3&amp;hash_id=51e67af1ca1b644bfe1b6cdcca870688&amp;t=1304614002" name="movie"><param value="true" name="allowFullScreen"><param value="random=true" name="flashvars"><param value="#787878" name="bgcolor"></object> <!--To view this photo slideshow you need to have Flash Player 9 or newer installed and JavaScript enabled. This &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.photosnack.com/&quot; title=&quot;PhotoSnack - Flash photo slideshow maker&quot;&gt;picture slideshow&lt;/a&gt; was created with PhotoSnack photo slideshow software for free.--> <br/><br/> In honor of the 50th Anniversary of Alan Shepard being tossed into space, we’re giving away a couple copies of his biography, Light This Candle, by Neal Thompson. Reblog or like this post to be entered to randomly win. <br/><br/> (<a href="http://crownpublishing.tumblr.com/private/5220534772/tumblr_lkqefqQwrC1qdnnmk" target="_blank">Contest Rules</a>)</p> </blockquote>http://nealthompson.tumblr.com/post/5243291692http://nealthompson.tumblr.com/post/5243291692Fri, 06 May 2011 06:45:24 -0700alan shepardspacenasaspace raceneal thompson<embed src="http://c.brightcove.com/services/viewer/federated_f8/1417334557" bgcolor="#FFFFFF" flashvars="videoId=929667089001&linkBaseURL=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.space.com%2Fvideo&playerId=1417334557&viewerSecureGatewayURL=https://console.brightcove.com/services/amfgateway&servicesURL=http://services.brightcove.com/services&cdnURL=http://admin.brightcove.com&domain=embed&autoStart=false&" base="http://admin.brightcove.com" name="flashObj" width="400" height="339" seamlesstabbing="false" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" swliveconnect="true" pluginspage="http://www.macromedia.com/shockwave/download/index.cgi?P1_Prod_Version=ShockwaveFlash"></embed><br/><br/><p>Hey space fans: great video about Alan Shepard’s first flight, 50 yrs ago today</p>http://nealthompson.tumblr.com/post/5217836452http://nealthompson.tumblr.com/post/5217836452Thu, 05 May 2011 06:44:30 -0700alan shepardspacenasasputnikspace racemoonneal thompson<a href="http://www.space.com/11561-nasa-alan-shepard-1st-american-space-thompson-interview.html">Alan Shepard Q&A, 'Don Draper in a Spacesuit' - Space.com</a>http://nealthompson.tumblr.com/post/5206088576http://nealthompson.tumblr.com/post/5206088576Wed, 04 May 2011 18:31:22 -0700Alan ShepardFreedom 7Light This Candlespaceneal thompsonnasamercury 7<img src="http://24.media.tumblr.com/tumblr_lkp7seqKae1qd5t95o1_500.jpg"/><br/><br/><blockquote> <p><br/>Before Alan Shepard is sealed into his spacecraft, fellow astronaut Gus Grissom talks to him one last time.</p> </blockquote>http://nealthompson.tumblr.com/post/5205921905http://nealthompson.tumblr.com/post/5205921905Wed, 04 May 2011 18:26:15 -0700Alan ShepardFreedom 7NASAMercury 7spaceLight This CandleNeal Thompson<a href="http://images.google.com/hosted/life/f?imgurl=6c83c64ed703dd48&q=alan%20shepard%20source:life&prev=/search%3Fq%3Dalan%2Bshepard%2Bsource:life%26hl%3Den%26biw%3D1518%26bih%3D876%26tbm%3Disch0,445">LIFE: Astronaut Alan B. Shepard in space cloth... - Hosted by Google</a>http://nealthompson.tumblr.com/post/5106603187http://nealthompson.tumblr.com/post/5106603187Sun, 01 May 2011 11:18:18 -0700<a href="http://www.nealthompson.com/2011/05/50th-anniversary-of-alan-shepard-and-america-in-space/">Excerpt from Alan Shepard bio Light This Candle</a>: <p>Posting excerpts from ‘Light This Candle’ this week - 50th anniversary of Alan Shepard becoming America’s first spaceman</p>http://nealthompson.tumblr.com/post/5106553763http://nealthompson.tumblr.com/post/5106553763Sun, 01 May 2011 11:16:35 -0700alan shepardnasaspacelight this candleneal thompsonsputnik<a href="http://www.collectspace.com/news/news-032604a.html">Reviving this old "Light This Candle" interview... </a>: <p>…in commemoration of upcoming 50th anniversary of Alan Shepard’s historic flight (5/5/61)</p>http://nealthompson.tumblr.com/post/5082186603http://nealthompson.tumblr.com/post/5082186603Sat, 30 Apr 2011 15:37:33 -0700alan shepardspacenasaneal thompson<img src="http://25.media.tumblr.com/tumblr_lkbyfxomVQ1qz6f9yo1_500.jpg"/><br/><br/><blockquote> <p>Commemorating 50th anniversary of Shepard’s Freedom 7 (5/5/61) with pix, links, and re-blogs of the man. Need more Icy Commander? Check out my book, <em><a href="http://www.nealthompson.com/neals-books/light-this-candle/" target="_blank">L</a><a href="http://www.nealthompson.com/neals-books/light-this-candle/" target="_blank">ight This Candle: The Life & Times of Alan Shepard</a></em>.</p> </blockquote>http://nealthompson.tumblr.com/post/5012847477http://nealthompson.tumblr.com/post/5012847477Thu, 28 Apr 2011 07:52:34 -0700alan shepardspacenasaastronautsNeal Thompson<img src="http://24.media.tumblr.com/tumblr_lkcnmu3g971qgky92o1_500.jpg"/><br/><br/><p><a href="http://complex34.tumblr.com/post/5010628272" target="_blank">complex34</a>:</p> <blockquote> <p><a href="http://asonlynasacan.tumblr.com/post/5006945132" target="_blank">asonlynasacan</a>:</p> <blockquote> <p>“Excuse me, if you have something to say to me, why don’t you say it to the rest of us. We’re waiting for your response.” The brief period when NASA was merged with organized crime apparently. DEKE AND GUS ARE ESPECIALLY NOT MESSING AROUND.</p> </blockquote> <p>Sorry. I’ll just be leaving now. Didn’t mean to interrupt. Just let me know if you want some coffee or something, gentlemen. I mean sirs. Your astronautnesses.</p> </blockquote>http://nealthompson.tumblr.com/post/5012461650http://nealthompson.tumblr.com/post/5012461650Thu, 28 Apr 2011 07:27:09 -0700<img src="http://24.media.tumblr.com/tumblr_lkbq8yhOSo1qj9am1o1_500.jpg"/><br/><br/><p><a href="http://lightthiscandle.tumblr.com/post/4989546326" target="_blank">lightthiscandle</a>:</p> <blockquote> <p><a href="http://complex34.tumblr.com/post/4989090285" target="_blank">complex34</a>:</p> <blockquote> <p>Who makes stone-faced Al laugh after splash down? Gus and Deke, of course.</p> </blockquote> <p>In the photo section of his autobiography, Chris Kraft specifically singles out this picture as one of his favorite NASA photos of all time. I feel that if a photo melts the hearts of both A) Alan Shepard and B) Chris Kraft, then it is probably a good photo.</p> </blockquote> <p>To commemorate the 50th anniversary of Shepard’s Freedom 7 flight (5/5/61), I’m blogging and reblogging pix and links. Need to know more about the Icy Commander? Check out my book, <em><a href="http://www.nealthompson.com/neals-books/light-this-candle/" target="_blank">L</a><a href="http://www.nealthompson.com/neals-books/light-this-candle/" target="_blank">ight This Candle: The Life & Times of Alan Shepard</a></em>.</p>http://nealthompson.tumblr.com/post/5012431382http://nealthompson.tumblr.com/post/5012431382Thu, 28 Apr 2011 07:25:06 -0700<img src="http://25.media.tumblr.com/tumblr_lka88e1ehN1qj9am1o1_500.jpg"/><br/><br/><p><a href="http://jump-suit.tumblr.com/post/4970628905" target="_blank">jump-suit</a>:</p> <blockquote> <p><a href="http://complex34.tumblr.com/post/4968391772" target="_blank">complex34</a>:</p> <blockquote> <p>Gus Grissom stares straight through your soul as Gordo blathers on about something. Standing next to the president? Meh. Gus knows what you are doing.</p> </blockquote> <p>I didn’t see Gus at first, and then he scared the shit out of me. Also, why is Al sizing up the president like they’re about to fight in the parking lot?</p> </blockquote>http://nealthompson.tumblr.com/post/5012362391http://nealthompson.tumblr.com/post/5012362391Thu, 28 Apr 2011 07:20:30 -0700<img src="http://25.media.tumblr.com/tumblr_lkc6tfaOxd1qat82go1_500.jpg"/><br/><br/><p>Alan Shepard - America’s first spaceman. </p> <p>Next week (May 5) is the 50th anniversary of his historic Freedom 7 launch, which made him the first American in space. (More: <a href="http://www.nealthompson.com/neals-books/light-this-candle/" target="_blank">Light This Candle</a>)</p>http://nealthompson.tumblr.com/post/4998459670http://nealthompson.tumblr.com/post/4998459670Wed, 27 Apr 2011 17:32:03 -0700spacealan shepardmoonnasaneal thompson<img src="http://25.media.tumblr.com/tumblr_kwrskzAtYn1qat82go1_500.jpg"/><br/><br/><p><h2>Light This Candle</h2> Light This Candle, by Neal Thompson, on display at Barnes and Noble<br/> - Posted using <a href="http://moby.to/nzatkq" target="_blank">Mobypicture.com</a></p>http://nealthompson.tumblr.com/post/351322108http://nealthompson.tumblr.com/post/351322108Sun, 24 Jan 2010 13:19:48 -0800