Shep·ard (shěp'ərd) American astronaut who on a 15-minute flight on May 5, 1961, became the first American in space. He also commanded the Apollo 14 mission to the moon (1971).
Shepard, Sam Originally Samuel Shepard Rogers. Born 1943. American playwright, screenwriter, and actor who won a Pulitzer Prize for his play Buried Child (1978).