Editing Alan Shepard (section)

===Project Gemini; chief astronaut===
[[File:KN-C17754. Guests Arrive for Presentation Ceremony of the NASA Distinguished Service Medal to Astronaut Commander Alan B. Shepard, Jr.jpg|thumb|left|Shepard and his wife Louise meet First Lady [[Jacqueline Kennedy]], President [[John F. Kennedy]] and Vice President [[Lyndon B. Johnson]] at the South Portico of the [[White House]], prior to his receiving the [[NASA Distinguished Service Medal]] on May 8, 1961.|alt=The men wear dark suits. A Naval officer in khaki stands behind them. The White House is in the background.]]
[[Project Gemini]], with a crew of two, followed on from Project Mercury.{{sfn|Hacker|Grimwood|1977|pp=3–5}} After the Mercury-Atlas 10 mission was canceled, Shepard was designated as the commander of the first crewed Gemini mission, with [[Thomas P. Stafford]] chosen as his pilot.{{sfn|Thompson|2004|pp=345–346}} In late 1963, Shepard began to experience episodes of extreme dizziness and nausea, accompanied by a loud, clanging noise in the left ear. He tried to keep it secret, fearing that he would lose his flight status, but was aware that if an episode occurred in the air or in space it could be fatal. Following an episode during a lecture in Houston, where he had recently moved from [[Virginia Beach, Virginia]], Shepard was forced to confess his ailment to Slayton, who was now Director of Flight Operations, and seek help from NASA's doctors.{{sfn|Thompson|2004|pp=350–351}}

The doctors diagnosed [[Ménière's disease]], a condition in which fluid pressure builds up in the inner ear. This syndrome causes the semicircular canals and motion detectors to become extremely sensitive, resulting in disorientation, dizziness, and nausea. There was no known cure, but in about 20 percent of cases the condition goes away by itself. They prescribed [[diuretic]]s in an attempt to drain the fluid from the ear. They also diagnosed [[glaucoma]]. An X-ray found a lump on his [[thyroid]], and on January 17, 1964, surgeons at [[Hermann Hospital]] made an incision on his throat and removed 20 percent of his thyroid.{{sfn|Thompson|2004|pp=352–354}}{{sfn|Shepard & Slayton|1994|pp=168–170}} The condition caused Shepard to be removed from flight status. Grissom and [[John Young (astronaut)|John Young]] flew [[Gemini 3]] instead.{{sfn|Thompson|2004|p=366}}

Shepard was designated [[Chief of the Astronaut Office]] in November 1963, receiving the title of Chief Astronaut.{{sfn|Shayler|2001|p=97}} He thereby became responsible for NASA astronaut training. This involved the development of appropriate training programs for all astronauts and the scheduling of training of individual astronauts for specific missions and roles. He provided and coordinated astronaut input into mission planning and the design of spacecraft and other equipment to be used by astronauts on space missions.<ref name="40th" /> He also was on the selection panel for the [[NASA Astronaut Group 5]] in 1966.{{sfn|Burgess|2013|pp=50–52}} He spent much of his time investing in banks, [[wildcatting]], and real estate. He became part owner and vice president of Baytown National Bank and would spend hours on the phone in his NASA office overseeing it. He also bought a partnership in a ranch in [[Weatherford, Texas]], that raised horses and cattle.{{sfn|Thompson|2004|pp=362–363}} During this period, his secretary Gaye Alford had two "mood-of-the-day" photographs taken of Shepard, one of a smiling ''Al'' Shepard, and the other of a grim-looking ''Commander'' Shepard. To warn visitors of Shepard's mood, she would hang the appropriate photograph on the door of her boss's private office.{{sfn|Thompson|2004|pp=359–360}} [[Tom Wolfe]] characterized Shepard's dual personalities as "Smilin' Al" and the "Icy Commander".{{sfn|Wolfe|1979|pp=172–173}}