Wally Schirra facts for kids

Walter M. Schirra Jr.
Quick facts for kids Walter M. Schirra Jr.
Born	Walter Marty Schirra Jr. ; March 12, 1923; Hackensack, New Jersey, U.S.
Died	May 3, 2007 (aged 84); San Diego, California, U.S.
Nationality	United States
Other names	Wally Schirra
Alma mater	Newark College of Engineering; USNA, B.S. 1945
Occupation	Naval aviator, test pilot
Awards	Navy Distinguished Service Medal; Distinguished Flying Cross (3); Air Medal (3); NASA Distinguished Service Medal (3); NASA Exceptional Service Medal;
	Space career
NASA Astronaut
Rank	Captain, USN
Time in space	12d 7h 12m
Selection	1959 NASA Group 1
Missions	Mercury-Atlas 8; Gemini 6A; Apollo 7
Mission insignia
Retirement	July 1, 1969

Walter Marty Schirra Jr. ( March 12, 1923 – May 3, 2007) was an American naval aviator, test pilot, and NASA astronaut. In 1959, he became one of the original seven astronauts chosen for Project Mercury, which was the United States' first effort to put human beings into space. On October 3, 1962, he flew the six-orbit, nine-hour, Mercury-Atlas 8 mission, in a spacecraft he nicknamed Sigma 7. At the time of his mission in Sigma 7, Schirra became the fifth American and ninth human to travel into space. In the two-man Gemini program, he achieved the first space rendezvous, station-keeping his Gemini 6A spacecraft within 1 foot (30 cm) of the sister Gemini 7 spacecraft in December 1965. In October 1968, he commanded Apollo 7, an 11-day low Earth orbit shakedown test of the three-man Apollo Command/Service Module and the first crewed launch for the Apollo program.

He was the first astronaut to go into space three times, and the only astronaut to have flown in the Mercury, Gemini, and Apollo programs. In total, Schirra logged 295 hours and 15 minutes in space. After Apollo 7, he retired as a captain from the U.S. Navy as well as from NASA, subsequently becoming a consultant to CBS News in the network's coverage of following Apollo flights. Schirra joined Walter Cronkite as co-anchor for all seven of NASA's Moon landing missions.

Images for kids

Schirra (2nd from right) and McDonnell Aircraft Design Chief, Dave Lewis at F3H Demon delivery (c. 1958)
Schirra (3rd from right) with fellow Mercury astronauts (1961)
Schirra during a Gemini 6 training simulation (1965)
Schirra as the Commander of Apollo 7 crew (1968)
Commander Lee Axtell releases the ashes of Wally Schirra during his burial at sea (2008)