Alan Shepard tells Martha/Alice that the American flag represents "Freedom to choose your own life." Alan would later name his Mercury capsule "Freedom 7". Alan was also the only Mercury astronaut to raise the American flag on the Moon (Apollo 14). Deke Slayton wanted a Mercury astronaut on the first Apollo flight and to be the first man on the Moon. Grissom was assigned to the Apollo 1 crew and was killed during the tragic 1967 "plugs out" test, when a fire caused the deaths of Grissom and fellow astronauts White and Chaffee. Wally Schirra commanded the first manned Apollo flight, Apollo 7, but then retired from NASA. With Shepard and Deke grounded, and with Gordon Cooper out of favor with NASA managers, no remaining Mercury astronauts were available for the first Moon landing, Apollo 11, which was commanded by Group 2 astronaut Neil Armstrong.
