Shepard underwent an experimental surgery to fix the inner-ear ailment, and it worked! Finally, after impatiently waiting behind a desk for over half a decade Shepard was ready for space travel again. Because of his status at NASA, he managed to snag an immediate flight assignment and avoid the long wait facing other astronauts. On February 15, 1971, Shepard commanded the Apollo 14 mission. Photo Credit: NASA / Wikimedia Commons | {{PD-USGov}}