Astronaut Wally Schirra dies

Stephen Withers
Friday, 04 May 2007 06:58

Science - Space

Walter "Wally" Schirra, one of the original seven Mercury astronauts has died at the age of 84.

Schirra's 1962 flight on Sigma 7 was the fifth in the Mercury program.

He went on to command Gemini 6-A, which rendezvoused in orbit with Gemini 7 - a first for manned, manoeuvrable spacecraft. The original plan was to rendezvous with an unmanned Athena rocket, but it exploded shortly after launch. Gemini 7 was brought forward as a replacement.

Schirra's third mission was in command of Apollo 7, making him the only person to fly in all of the US's first three manned space projects. Apollo 7 proved the spacecraft's performance and was the first flight to include a live TV downlink.

"Those early pioneering flights of Mercury, the performances of Gemini and the trips to the moon established us once and for all as what I like to call a spacefaring nation. Like England, Spain and Portugal crossing the seas in search of their nations' greatness, so we reached for the skies and ennobled our nation," he once wrote.

Before joining NASA, Schirra was a naval pilot. His awards included the Navy Distinguished Service Medal, three Distinguished Flying Crosses, three Air Medals, two NASA Distinguished Service Medals, the NASA Exceptional Service Medal and the Philippines Legion of Honor.

He is survived by his wife Josephine and children Suzanne and Walter.