Only US Astronaut To Fly On Mercury, Gemini, Apollo

It is with sadness Aero-News reports that astronaut Walter Marty ("Wally") Schirra, Jr. passed away Thursday at the age of 84.

Originally recruited as one of the original Mercury 7 astronauts by NASA in 1959, Schirra would go on to become the only astronaut to fly in the agency's first three manned space programs -- Mercury, Gemini, and Apollo. Each of his missions built on those before, and laid the foundation for more advanced missions to follow.

Schirra flew on the fifth Mercury flight in 1962, orbiting the Earth six times in his Sigma 7 capsule -- the longest US manned space mission up to that point. He commanded Gemini 6A in 1965, a flight with Tom Stafford that had the historic distinction of being the first rendezvous of two manned, maneuverable spacecraft.

NASA states Schirra's Gemini flight with Stafford was something of an improvisation. They had been scheduled to rendezvous in orbit with an unmanned Agena to be launched 90 minutes before the Gemini liftoff. But six minutes after the Atlas-Agena left the pad it exploded, and the Gemini 6A launch was postponed.

NASA then decided to use Gemini 7 as a rendezvous target for Gemini 6A. Both were to be launched from Pad 19 at Cape Canaveral, so a record turnaround of the pad was necessary. Working around the clock, crews got the pad ready in just eight days after the Gemini 7 liftoff.

The Gemini 6A countdown reached zero on December 12, 1965, and the rocket engines ignited -- then shut down. The two astronauts had to wait almost half an hour atop the fueled rocket before getting out of the capsule. The problem turned out to be minor, the failure of an electrical connection.

Three days later, Gemini 6A was launched without a hitch (NASA states that, on liftoff, Schirra admonished/encouraged the booster: "For the third time, go!") Gemini 6A and Gemini 7 later flew in formation for five hours, at one point as close as one foot to one another. (A more detailed account of that flight is available here.)

Three years later, Schirra commanded Apollo 7 -- the first manned Apollo flight, which followed the January 1967 launchpad fire that claimed the lives of Apollo 1 astronauts Edward White, Roger Chaffee, and Virgil Grissom (who was also a Mercury and Gemini astronaut.) During the 11-day flight of Apollo 7 in 1968, Schirra and fellow crewmembers Walt Cunningham and Donn Eisele tested the redesigned Apollo systems, and proved the spacecraft was ready to take astronauts to the moon.

Schirra retired from the Navy as a captain, and from NASA in 1969 -- after which, he teamed with Walter Cronkite on CBS Television, becoming a well-known spaceflight commentator. Schirra worked for CBS from 1969 to 1975, and later formed his own consultant company, Schirra Enterprises, in 1979.

Walter M. Schirra was born in Hackensack, NJ on March 12, 1923. He graduated from the US Naval Academy in 1945, and from Naval Flight Training at Pensacola Naval Air Station, FL in 1947. After service as a carrier-based fighter pilot and operations officer, he attended the Naval Test Pilot School at Patuxent River, MD. During the Korean War he flew F-86 Sabres under an exchange program with the Air Force.

Schirra's military 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 was active in a number of organizations, and was a founding member and director of the Mercury Seven Foundation.

Schirra also was a director of the San Diego Aerospace Museum, a trustee of the Scripps Aquarium, and a member of the International Council of the Salk Institute.

FMI: www.nasa.gov, www.wallyschirra.com