小艾伦·巴特利特·谢泼德于1923年11月18日出生在美国新罕布什尔州罗金厄姆縣的城镇德里（英语：Derry, New Hampshire）。[1][2][3]父亲是老艾伦·B·谢泼德（Alan B. Shepard Sr.），人称巴特（Bart）；母亲是波莉娜·伦扎·谢泼德（Pauline Renza Shepard），婚前姓埃默森（Emerson）。[4][5]谢泼德是家中的长子，有一个妹妹波莉娜，常被人称作波莉（Polly）。[4][6]
1945年11月，谢泼德抵达德克萨斯州科珀斯克里斯蒂海军航空站（英语：Naval Air Station Corpus Christi），次年1月7日开始接受飞行基础训练。[28]他在最初表现尚可，但在之后的飞行训练中成绩平平，教官称他“不稳定”，缺乏飞行员的直觉。1946年时，谢泼德险些遭劝退转至水面部队。[29]他为了弥补自己的不足，在当地民用飞行学校参加了私人飞行课程。海军不允许这种行为，他只能秘密接受训练，数月后便获得民用飞行执照。[30][3]他的飞行技术日渐长进，到1947年初已经获得“中上水平”的评价，并转到佛罗里达州彭薩科拉海軍航空基地接受最后的高级课程。在课程最后的考核中，谢泼德驾驶飞机在塞班島號航空母艦降落六次，以近乎完美的表现通过考核。他的父亲随后亲自为他佩戴上海军航空兵的徽章，两人身着军装敬礼致意。谢泼德日后称这是他生命中“最美好的瞬间之一”。[31]
1950年，26岁的谢泼德在指挥官的推荐下，获选进入马里兰州帕图森河海军基地的海军试飞员学校，成为同级中最年轻的学生。此时朝鲜战争已经爆发，谢泼德因试飞员课程而未参与战争。[33]训练课程颇为轻松，他在课程结束后开始参加试飞的工作。[2]他曾在高海拔飞行获取北美上空不同高度的光照和气团数据，研究不同机型在不同条件下的状况，测试过海军的全新空中加油系统，还曾检测麦克唐纳F2H女妖式喷气战斗机的航母适航认证，以及试验首个航母斜角甲板。[2][34]1952年，切萨皮克湾大桥刚建成不久，谢泼德驾驶女妖式战斗机从桥下飞过，拉升到桥梁上空又再次穿过桥洞，这样环绕桥面飞行了一圈，因此遭到主管约翰·海兰德（英语：John Hyland）的批评。之后他又先后驾机低空掠过大洋城海滩和整座海军基地。基地指挥官蒲賴德少将上报了他的违规行为，打算把他交给軍事法庭处置。但谢泼德的上级罗伯特·M·埃尔德（Robert M. Elder）和海兰德认为他前途无限，一同为他说情，才帮他逃过一劫。谢泼德最终只获得单人禁闭的处罚。埃尔德之后也成为谢泼德的导师，二人经常一起完成任务。[35]
1953年，谢泼德调动至第193战斗机中队（英语：VF-142）（VF-193），执飞F2H女妖式战斗机。这一中队昵称“幽灵骑士”（"Ghostriders"），是一支全天候战斗机中队，驻扎在加利福尼亚州莫菲特飞行场（英语：Moffett Federal Airfield），隶属于第19飞行大队（Air Group 19）。当时美国海军航空兵中驾驶过喷气式战机的人仍属罕见，大队指挥官詹姆斯·D·拉马奇（英语：James D. Ramage）只得四处寻找有经验的飞行员。他在罗伯特·M·埃尔德的建议下点名要求谢泼德调动至自己的大队。拉马奇很快发现谢泼德飞行技巧高超，少有飞行员能达到他的水平，之后任命他作自己的僚机。[36]这一决定日后拯救了拉马奇的生命。1954年，拉马奇驾驶的战机供氧系统故障，他在飞行中出现头晕恶心、失去方向感，无力操纵飞机降落，正是谢泼德通过无线电引导他安全着陆。[37]在第193中队服役期间，谢泼德曾任行动指挥，靠自己的飞行知识指导其他飞行员安全完成任务。他还曾在奧里斯卡尼號航空母艦上短暂服役两小时。1953年，奥里斯卡尼号出发前往西太平洋的朝鲜战争战场，但尚未抵达时朝鲜停战协定就已签订生效。谢泼德也未能参与朝鲜战争。[38][2]
第二组34人在一周后也参与了同样的介绍和测试。前两组69人经过筛选后，有6人因身高超标淘汰，15人因其他原因退出，最终留下32位候选人。这些候选人的积极性远超过航空航天局的预期。航空航天局计划选出12人作为参加水星计划的第一批宇航员，原本预计有很多人不愿参与太空项目，因此准备的候选人数多达110人。但航空航天局此时发现前两组留下的32人中已经足够选出12人，原本110人中剩余的第三组41人于是未能参加选拔。航空航天局设定第一批宇航员人数时曾考虑到宇航员获选后可能中途退出，如今了解到候选人的参与热情之高，意识到宇航员放弃任务的可能性也比预期中要低，因此又将第一批宇航员的名额缩减至6人。[57][51]前两组选出的32位候选人在新墨西哥州阿布奎基洛夫莱斯诊所（英语：Lovelace Respiratory Research Institute）和俄亥俄州代顿赖特航空航天医学实验室接受了严格体检和心理测验。[58][51]这一环节中仅有一位候选人吉姆·洛弗尔因体检误诊而遭淘汰，他在日后入选第二组宇航员；[59]另外有13人勉强通过但专家持保留意见。航空航天局太空任务工作组主管罗伯特·吉尔鲁斯（英语：Robert R. Gilruth）最终难以抉择，决定选出七人参加水星计划，即水星计划七人。[59]
七名宇航员入选后开始在弗吉尼亚州漢普頓的朗利研究中心（英语：Langley Research Center）接受训练。此时航空航天局已经确定首个载人航天器的设计方案，由火箭助推器将一个锥形舱送入太空。七人之间的竞争激烈，约翰·格伦尤其给谢泼德带来巨大压力。他开始戒烟，像格伦一样每天晨跑，但依然不忘饮酒调情。[67]1961年1月19日，太空任务主管罗伯特·吉尔鲁斯向七人宣布选定由谢泼德执行此次任务，成为第一个进入太空的美国人。[68]但为了不给他增加压力，航空航天局未向媒体公布具体人选。[69]谢泼德在训练中完成了120次模拟飞行，并率先完成了多轴惯性空间试验（Multiple Axis Space Test Inertia Facility，MASTIF）。[70][69]原计划他将于1960年4月26日升空，[71]但因准备工作超出预期，发射日期先后六次推迟，最终定于1961年5月5日。[72]1961年4月12日，苏联在载人航天中抢得先机，宇航员尤里·加加林乘东方1号进入太空，在人类历史上首次沿轨道环绕地球一周，成为首个在太空飞行的人类。[73]美国人再次受到打击。[74]谢泼德看到新闻报道后脸色阴沉，拳头重重锤在桌子上。航空航天局公关官员称谢泼德当时怒火难消，几乎要将桌子砸碎。[75]此后五天的4月17日，美国在猪湾事件中又遭遇失败，时任总统约翰·肯尼迪与航空航天局官员会面，要求他们赶超苏联人，为美国赢得一次胜利。[75]
1963年11月，谢泼德获任命成为航空航天局宇航员办公室主任（英语：Chief of the Astronaut Office）（即首席宇航员）。[104]他自此开始负责管理航空航天局旗下宇航员，包括开发管理宇航员训练项目、安排宇航员的专门训练计划，还负责协调安排宇航员的飞行任务，评估设计太空任务中的设备。[88][2]他也参加宇航员选拔和太空实验的筛选，直接参与了1966年第五组宇航员的选拔工作。[88][105]谢泼德此时无法参加宇航员训练，于是在业余时间开始投资银行、油井和房地产。他还成为贝顿国家银行（Baytown National Bank）的共有人和副总裁，在航空航天局的办公室内也靠电话打理自己的生意。他鼓励自己的宇航员同事到这间银行贷款或投资，同事私下称他是“贷款之鹰”（the Loan Eagle）。这一绰号和查尔斯·林德伯格的昵称“孤鹰”（The Lone Eagle）谐音。谢泼德还因银行贷款陷入与斯科特·卡彭特的诉讼。卡彭特称谢泼德未能告知自己银行即将出售的消息，导致自己在银行股价大跌时受到损失，无法偿还25,000美元的贷款。他因此指责谢泼德“诈骗”了自己。[106]谢泼德还曾投资一所加利福尼亚州的石油公司，但公司跑路血本无归。他之后又成为德克萨斯州韋瑟福德一座牧场的合伙人。[88][106]航空航天局局长韦伯对谢泼德的投资行为颇有不满，要求他“把航空航天局的利益放在私人利益之前”。[107]在这段时间内，谢泼德阴晴不定，他的秘书经常在办公室门外贴上他不同表情的照片，提醒访客他当时的心情。[108]记者汤姆·沃尔夫给谢泼德的双重性格取名为“微笑艾尔”（Smilin' Al）和“寒冰指令官”（Icy Commander），称他在两种性格之间判若两人。[109]
1996年，谢泼德已经开始出现身体不适，但他尽量不向外界表现出来。同年，谢泼德确诊患上白血病。受到年龄限制，他已无法接受骨髓移植。在大剂量药物和换血治疗后，他的症状一度有缓解迹象，但在1997年又开始复发。谢泼德始终保持高涨的信心，坚信“我会击败它的”。他的友人、音乐制作人米奇·卡普（Mickey Kapp）见此情形，感慨他是“我见过最强悍的人”。但医生认为他的前景已不乐观。约翰·格伦联系了国立卫生研究院的白血病专家，他们也基本无能为力。1998年7月20日，谢泼德出现腹痛入院。21日晚21:30左右，他在加利福尼亚州蒙特雷縣圆石滩因白血病与世长辞，享年74岁。卡普称“这是他输掉的唯一一场战役”。[141][142]他的遗孀路易丝希望将他的遗体火化后把骨灰撒在“特别的地方”，但她在五周后的8月25日因心脏病发作猝逝，同样享年74岁。路易丝逝世于当晚17:00，正是两人生前日常通话的时间。家人决定将这对结婚53年的夫妻一同火化。11月18日，他们的好友搭乘海军直升机，将夫妇两人的骨灰分别撒在圆石滩旁的净水湾（Stillwater Cove）海面上。[143][144]新罕布什尔州德里的森林丘墓园（Forest Hill Cemetery）则设立了夫妇两人的纪念墓碑。[131]
2010年，非营利组织太空基金会（英语：Space Foundation）调查了美国公众心中最受欢迎的太空英雄，谢泼德与巴兹·奥尔德林和维吉尔·格里森并列第九位。[171]太空基金会还与宇航员纪念基金会（Astronauts Memorial Foundation）和航空航天局合作，自2001年起每年颁发“艾伦·谢泼德科技教育奖”（Alan Shepard Technology in Education Award），奖励为科技教育做出贡献的中小学及学前教育教师和管理者。[172]
^Burgess 2014，第69頁: "Alan Shepard was an eighth-generation New Englander who could trace his roots back to the Mayflower as a celebrated descendant of Richard Warren."
^Thompson 2004，第10頁: "Alan's father, Bart ... joined the National Guard in 1915 and then shipped off to France with an infantry division of the American Expeditionary Force in World War I. ... began working as an assistant cashier at his father's bank, Derry National. ... eventually rose to the rank of colonel."
^Thompson 2004，第90–95頁: "... confused during orientation, causing him to have trouble in making up his mind ...," one instructor wrote. "Very unsteady and erratic" ... Shepard was staring at the dashboard instruments, using their data as a crutch instead of flying by instinct and feel ... he needed to sharpen his flying or he would face reassignment to the regular Navy."
^Thompson 2004，第100–103頁: "His SNJ dropped to the Saipan’s deck ... "Absolutely perfect," ... His next five landings were also nearly perfect. The next day Bart pinned on Alan's wings of gold, and the uniformed father saluted his uniformed son. Alan called it "one of the best moments" of his life."
^Thompson 2004，第270–280頁: "Shepard turned to Glenn, who was standing beside him, and broke the stunned silence that followed. “Well, I’m glad they got that one out of the way,” he said."
^Thompson 2004，第260–270頁: "the Mercury Seven sometimes had to wonder whether they’d signed on for a suicide mission."
^Kranz 2000，第200–201頁: "When reporters asked Shepard what he thought about as he sat atop the Redstone rocket, waiting for liftoff, he had replied, "The fact that every part of this ship was built by the low bidder.""
^United Press International 1961: "… didn't really feel the flight was a success until the recovery had been successfully completed. It's not the fall that hurts; it's the sudden stop.
^Thompson 2004，第364–365頁: "Webb was furious that “a person who is doing a full-time job with the government, and particularly one who is in such a prominent position as you are,” would think it was acceptable to also be a bank president. Webb urged Shepard to “put the interest of NASA ahead of” his personal interests.
^Thompson 2004，第386–388頁: "House’s surgery was a great success, and Shepard returned to Slayton’s office and told him that he was ready to fly again. “Get me a flight to the moon,” he said....Shepard was officially restored to flight status on May 7, 1969."
^Thompson 2004，第386–393頁: "... Shepard ... convinced Slayton to give him the flight that Cooper has assumed was solidly his. Actually, as Slayton’s partner in crew selections, Shepard essentially assigned himself to Apollo 13, which made Cooper “furious” that Shepard seemed to be placing “his own interests” ahead of the good of the space program. ... Cooper said ruefully years later ... “it took me years to forgive Al.” ... “I lost the moon”...
^Thompson 2004，第402–406頁: "It would become a persistent joke between Shepard and Lovell. ... Lovell would joke, “Anytime you want Apollo 13 back, Al, you can have it.”
^Thompson 2004，第402–406頁: "Apollo 14 was delayed for four months to allow crews to modify Shepard’s spacecraft and, they hoped, prevent a similar disaster. ... The blueprint for Apollo 14’s mission was essentially a duplicate of what Apollo 13 had planned: to land in and explore the rocky hills of Fra Mauro.
^Thompson 2004，第410-430頁: "Shepard clearly didn’t give much advance thought to his first words. But ... what he said seemed appropriate enough: “Al is on the surface. And it’s been a long way. But we’re here.” ... Shepard was surprised to feel tears welling up into his eyes.
^Thompson 2004，第410-430頁: "watched it fly “straight as a die . . . miles and miles and miles.” Later he’d admit it went about two hundred yards. But he had done it—something no one else had done or ever would do again..."
^Thompson 2004，第431-432頁: "“what a fragile, beautiful place” the earth was when viewed from space. “It’s too bad there are so many people on earth who can’t get along,” he said."
^Military Times: "As a result of his skillful leadership, professional competence and dedication, the APOLLO 14 mission ... was accomplished in an outstanding manner. ... Captain Shepard rendered valuable and distinguished service and contributed greatly to the success of the United States Space Program.
^Evans 2015: "Shepard remained chief from November 1963 until July 1969, when he stepped down to begin training as Commander of the Apollo 14 lunar landing mission, then resumed the position from June 1971 through his retirement from NASA in August 1974. Whilst Shepard trained for his mission, veteran astronaut Tom Stafford served as chief. Upon Shepard’s departure from the space agency, four-time spacefarer John Young became chief.
^NASA 1998: "Rear Admiral Shepard has logged a total of 216 hours and 57 minutes in space, of which 9 hours and 17 minutes were spent in lunar surface EVA."
^Thompson 2004，第456-458頁: "The other surviving Mercury Seven were amazed that Shepard, a man known for occasional self-indulgence and conceit, was now throwing himself at philanthropy. “He was very generous,” Schirra said. “But he kept it to himself.”
^Thompson 2004，第462-468頁: "he said, “the docs tell me I have a touch of leukemia. But I’ll beat it.” Kapp had no words. He thought, This is the toughest man I’ve ever met. ... Glenn made some calls to leukemia experts there. He found to his dismay that there wasn’t much the NIH experts could offer. ... On July 20 Louise took him to the hospital in Monterey. He was having stomach pains. ... and the next night, at about nine-thirty, at age seventy-four, he died. “Only battle I ever saw him lose,” Mickey Kapp said.
^Thompson 2004，第109-144, 260–270, 471-472頁: "... called her and the baby, Laura, at 5 P.M. Eastern Standard Time. ... Shepard was known as one of the more successful flirts ... Shepard had dated many women before Louise—and after; ... 5 P.M.—the precise time Alan used to telephone her, year after year, when he was out of town."
^Hanson 2011: "And so we looked at some of the names of the first seven astronauts, which （原文如此） have these great names, you know, like "Cooper", and "Shepard", and stuff like that. And ultimately, the name "Shepard" ... the astronaut himself [...] is a lot like the way that we imagined our Shepard, which is very tough, very respected."
Burgess, Colin. Selecting the Mercury Seven: The Search for America's First Astronauts. Springer-Praxis books in space exploration. New York ; London: Springer. 2011. ISBN 978-1-4419-8405-0. OCLC 747105631.
Burgess, Colin. Moon Bound: Choosing and Preparing NASA's Lunar AStronauts. Springer-Praxis books in space exploration. New York ; London: Springer. 2013. ISBN 978-1-4614-3854-0. OCLC 905162781.
Burgess, Colin. Freedom 7: The Historic Flight of Alan B. Shepard, Jr.. Springer-Praxis books in space exploration. New York ; London: Springer. 2014. ISBN 978-3-319-01155-4. OCLC 902685533.
Swenson, Loyd S., Jr.; Grimwood, James M.; Alexander, Charles C. This New Ocean: A History of Project Mercury. The NASA History Series. Washington, DC: National Aeronautics and Space Administration. 1966 [2017-08-11]. OCLC 569889. NASA SP-4201.
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