[Brad from Tennessee]

[Shepard was a Machiavellian, cold, arrogant guy whose utter lack of people skills turned many off.]

Maybe so but he was always my favorite. When I was in 7th Grade I watched Shepard's Mercury launch—about 50 miles distant—from the grounds of my junior high in Orlando. Thirty years later I got to visit his launch pad at Kennedy Space Center. It was absolutely tiny compared to the sites used for the Saturn V and later the Shuttle.

[buccaneer81]

I always thought the coldest astronaut was John Glenn, and that his 1964 bathtub injury thankfully kept him from a Moon mission.

[Frantzie]

Yeah I liked Shepard, Lovell and Schirra - all Navy guys. I also like low key Neil Armstrong - another Navy guy. Armstrong was also a great pilot.

[screaminsunshine]

I watched it from mine in Tampa. Cool.