Space pain
Anyone who has experienced pain in their ears, either on the ground or while flying, will have some understanding about the difficulties Alan Shepard Jnr overcame.
In May 1961, Shepard, who was one of the original seven Mercury astronauts named by Nasa in 1959, became the first American to journey into space. His historic voyage occurred when he made a sub-orbital flight on board the Freedom 7 spacecraft, a trip which lasted a mere 15 minutes.
Shepard's career suffered a major setback in 1963 when he was diagnosed with labyrinthitis, a condition that caused dizziness and a partial loss of hearing in one ear.
His condition meant he was grounded by Nasa from being a pilot on any aircraft. Disappointed, he accepted a desk job with the space agency but never gave up his dream of walking on the moon.
In the years following, while his colleagues were travelling further into space with each Apollo launch, Shepard consulted a series of doctors on his condition. Each diagnosed it as untreatable.
Help came from Shepard's partner, Tom Stafford, who referred him to a doctor who had perfected a new technique. Stafford, who was part of the Apollo 10 mission, was also grounded by Shepard's condition as Nasa did not like to break up its designated crews.
With his operation successful, Shepard returned to active flight duty and demanded to be part of the Apollo 13 mission. Nasa felt he needed more training and bumped him and his crew to the next mission.
In From The Earth To The Moon (Pearl, 10.30pm), Shepard's plight is chronicled as at 47 he became the oldest person to walk on the moon. He will forever be remembered for his golf swing from the lunar surface, sending the ball 'miles and miles'.
Shepard died last year of cancer at the age of 74.
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