FREEDOM 7 AT JFK LIBRARY

In 1961, astronaut Alan Shepard piloted Freedom 7 to become the first American in space. The space capsule can now be seen at the John F. Kennedy Presidential Library and Museum. Clamped atop a rocket nearly seven stories high, Freedom 7 was blasted into a 302-mile suborbital flight from Cape Canaveral, Fla., before splashing down in the Atlantic, a journey lasting 15 minutes and 28 seconds. On loan from the Smithsonian Institution’s National Air and Space Museum through 2015, the installation marks the 50th anniversary of President Kennedy’s speech at Rice University, where he championed the nation’s manned space efforts. Adults $12, age 62 and up and students (with valid ID) $10, 13-17 $9, children 12 and under free.  Columbia Point, 617-514-1600, www.jfklibrary.org