To add even more stress to Shepard’s journey, a Navy balloonist named Victor Prather (below) died one day before Freedom 7 took off when his pressure suit — identical to Shepard’s — filled with water and he drowned. Fortunately, Shepard didn’t suffer the same fate. Though he did face more sobering thoughts. Photo Credit: U.S. Navy / Wikimedia Commons | {{PD-USGov}}