Wally Schirra
Wally Schirra | |
---|---|
NASA astronaut | |
Rank | Captain, USN |
Time in space | 12d 7h 12m |
Selection | NASA Group 1 (1959) |
Missions | |
Mission insignia | |
Retirement | July 1, 1969 |
Walter Marty Schirra Jr. (
Before becoming an astronaut, Schirra graduated with a Bachelor of Science degree from the United States Naval Academy in 1945, and served at sea during World War II. In 1948, he became a naval aviator, served as a fighter pilot and flew 90 combat missions in the Korean War, and then in 1958 he graduated from the U.S. Naval Test Pilot School. Schirra retired from the Navy in 1969 with the rank of captain.
Schirra was the first astronaut to go into space three times, and the only astronaut to have flown into space in the Mercury, Gemini, and Apollo programs. In total, he 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.
Early life and education
Schirra was born on March 12, 1923, in Hackensack, New Jersey, to a family of aviators. His paternal grandparents were from Bavaria and Switzerland, and originally of Sardinian ancestry (more specifically from Ghilarza). Schirra's father, Walter M. Schirra Sr. (1893–1973), who was born in Philadelphia, joined the Royal Canadian Air Force during World War I, and flew bombing and reconnaissance missions over Germany. After the war, he performed as a barnstormer at county fairs in New Jersey. Schirra's mother, Florence Shillito Schirra (née Leach; 1898–1982), went along on her husband's barnstorming tours and performed wing walking stunts.[1]: 9–11 [2]
Schirra Jr. grew up in
Military service
After graduating from the Naval Academy, Schirra was commissioned as an
: 16–20After he completed training, Schirra received his
Schirra was initially deployed with the
After completing his tour in Korea, Schirra became a
Schirra was a member of Class 20 at the Naval Test Pilot School, along with future fellow astronauts
NASA career
Project Mercury
In February 1959, Schirra was one of 110 military test pilots selected by their commanding officers as candidates for the newly formed
At 7:15 am on October 3, 1962, Schirra lifted off aboard his Mercury flight, named Sigma 7. After a minor trajectory deviation early in flight, Sigma 7 achieved orbit. Once in orbit, Schirra demonstrated manually positioning and maneuvering his spacecraft using a reaction control system. After the navigation issues during Carpenter's Aurora 7 mission, NASA and Schirra focused on the engineering and human factors in manually operating the capsule. Schirra reported rising suit temperatures, reaching a high of 32 °C (90 °F), before he was able to adjust his suit's cooling system manually. After completing his spacecraft tests, Schirra tested his ability to use controls in a zero-gravity environment without sight. Throughout his mission, Schirra demonstrated the ability to act as a backup to automatic controls and manually fly the spacecraft. After six orbits, Schirra manually aligned his spacecraft over Africa and performed retrofire. Sigma 7 landed 5 miles (8.0 km) from the recovery ship, the aircraft carrier USS Kearsarge, in the central Pacific Ocean. Once Sigma 7 was on deck, Schirra activated the explosive hatch to egress the spacecraft, and received a large bruise, proving that Grissom had not intentionally opened his hatch on Liberty Bell 7. After Schirra returned to the US, he and his family were invited to the Oval Office at the White House to meet President Kennedy on October 16.[1]: 85–94 [6]
Project Gemini
At the beginning of the Gemini program,
While on the Gemini mission, Schirra played a
Apollo program
In mid-1966, Schirra was assigned to command a three-man
Schirra had gained a sense of security from having
Apollo 7 was launched on October 11, 1968, making Schirra the first person to fly in space three times. Prior to launch, Schirra had objected because of high winds, which could have injured the astronauts in the event of an abort within the first minute of the mission. After reaching orbit, the Apollo 7
During the mission, Schirra became sick with a
Prior to the Apollo 7 launch, Schirra had decided to retire after the flight, and left the NASA Astronaut Corps on July 1, 1969. Schirra's last assignment as an astronaut was to conduct the investigation into Neil Armstrong's Lunar Landing Research Vehicle crash, which he attributed to a mechanical failure and recommended suspending training with the vehicle.[1]: 208, 211, 216 On the same date, Schirra retired from the Navy with the rank of Captain.[4]
Post-NASA career
Television career
A combination of pseudoephedrine decongestant with triprolidine antihistamine was the cold medicine carried on board the Apollo missions and prescribed by the flight surgeon. Years later when this became available over the counter as Actifed, the makers of Actifed hired Schirra as a television commercial spokesman, based on the notoriety of his Apollo 7 in-space head cold.[1]: 207 [4]
During later Apollo missions, he served as a consultant to CBS News from 1969 to 1975. He joined Walter Cronkite to co-anchor the network's coverage of the seven Moon landing missions, starting with Apollo 11 (joined by Arthur C. Clarke) and including the ill-fated Apollo 13.[1]: 221–223 [12]
Business career
Following his NASA career, Schirra became
In January 1979, Schirra founded Schirra Enterprises, and worked as a consultant until 1980. He worked for the Belgian Consulate for Colorado and New Mexico, from 1971 to 1984, and was a board member of several corporations including Electromedics, Finalco, Kimberly-Clark, Net Air International, Rocky Mountain Airlines, and Johns-Manville Corporation.[1]: 218–221 [4][15][17][18][19] Schirra was president of the energy development company Prometheus from 1980 to 1981.[19] In 1984, he was among the surviving Mercury astronauts who established the Mercury Seven Foundation, now known as the Astronaut Scholarship Foundation, to award college scholarships to science and engineering students.[4][20]
Writing career
Schirra, along with the rest of the Mercury Seven, co-authored the 1962 book We Seven, detailing the training and development of the Mercury program.[21] Along with Richard N. Billings, Schirra released his autobiography Schirra's Space in 1988.[22] In 1995, he co-authored the book Wildcats to Tomcats: The Tailhook Navy with Barrett Tillman and fellow Navy Captains Richard L. (Zeke) Cormier, and Phil Wood. It describes five decades of Naval aviation, including accounts of combat tours in World War II, Korea, and Vietnam.[23] In 2005, he co-authored the book The Real Space Cowboys with Ed Buckbee. The book is an account of the 'Mercury Seven' astronauts. It follows them through the process of selection for the program, their entire careers, and into retirement. Schirra was also a contributor to the 2007 book, In the Shadow of the Moon, which was his final authored work.[24]
Personal life
Shortly after being commissioned in the Navy, Schirra began dating Josephine Cook "Jo" Fraser.[4] Schirra and Fraser were married on February 23, 1946.[1]: 15 They had two children, Walter M. (III) and Suzanne Karen, born in 1950 and 1957.[25] Jo Schirra died April 27, 2015, at the age of 91.[26]
Death
Schirra died on May 3, 2007, of a
Awards and honors
Throughout his military career, Schirra received numerous military decorations, including three
When Schirra was awarded his
Schirra was a 33rd Degree
In film and television
- 1978 TV: WKRP in Cincinnati[51]
- 1983 film: The Right Stuff – played by Lance Henriksen[52]
- 1998 HBO miniseries: From the Earth to the Moon – played by Mark Harmon[53]
- 2015 :ABC series The Astronaut Wives Club – played by Aaron McCusker[54]
- 2020 :National Geographic miniseries The Right Stuff – played by Aaron Staton
See also
Notes
- Gordon Cooper's Mercury flight in 1963, but this was not broadcast to the public.[11]
References
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- ^ a b c d e f g h i Gray, Tara (November 2, 2009). Garber, Steve (ed.). "40th Anniversary of Mercury 7: Walter Marty Schirra, Jr". NASA History. Archived from the original on November 15, 2020. Retrieved August 25, 2018.
- ISBN 978-1-4391-8103-4.
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- ISBN 1-58834-070-8. Archivedfrom the original on January 18, 2023. Retrieved November 22, 2020.
- ^ Edwards, Owen (December 2005). "The Day Two Astronauts Said They Saw a UFO Wearing a Red Suit". Smithsonian Magazine. Archived from the original on July 13, 2015. Retrieved July 13, 2015.
- ISBN 978-3-550-07660-2. Library of Congress 76-103950.
- ^ "Alternate Apollo 7: Astronaut's anniversary patch recalls 'Flight of the Phoenix'". collectSPACE. Archived from the original on August 18, 2017. Retrieved May 31, 2017.
- ^ Grahn, Sven. "The Mercury-Atlas-9 slow-scan TV experiment". Space Radio Notes. Archived from the original on August 14, 2019. Retrieved March 18, 2018.
- ^ "Walter Schirra, 1923–2007". NASA. May 3, 2007. Archived from the original on May 5, 2017. Retrieved December 3, 2017.
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- ^ a b c "Walter M Schirra" (PDF). NASA. May 2007. Archived (PDF) from the original on August 30, 2021. Retrieved May 18, 2021.
- ^ "Walter M. Schirra: NASA Astronauts". U.S. Naval Academy. Archived from the original on June 21, 2018. Retrieved August 25, 2018.
- ISBN 978-3-319-27983-1. Archivedfrom the original on January 18, 2023. Retrieved August 25, 2018.
- ^ Grey, Dave (October 7, 1983). "Schirra feels space program experience will help K-C". The Oshkosh Northwestern. Oshkosh, Wisconsin. p. 3. Archived from the original on April 20, 2018. Retrieved April 20, 2018 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ a b c d "About Wally". WallySchirra.com. 2018. Archived from the original on March 18, 2018. Retrieved March 18, 2018.
- ^ "History". Astronaut Scholarship Foundation. 2013. Archived from the original on August 25, 2018. Retrieved March 17, 2018.
- ^ "U.S. Space Pioneers Speak for Themselves". The Times. Shreveport, Louisiana. November 18, 1962. p. 62. Archived from the original on April 20, 2018. Retrieved April 20, 2018.
- ^ Ridgeway, Karen (September 25, 1988). "Allen, astronauts and an anniversary". Rapid City Journal. Rapid City, South Dakota. p. 82. Archived from the original on April 20, 2018. Retrieved April 20, 2018.
- OCLC 34004795.
- ^ "Schirra's Space". Wally Schirra. Archived from the original on October 17, 2017. Retrieved December 3, 2017.
- ^ "About Wally". WallySchirra.com. 2018. Archived from the original on March 18, 2018. Retrieved March 13, 2018.
- ^ Stone, Ken (May 3, 2015). "'Astronaut Wives Club' Member Jo Schirra Dies at 91; Widow of Wally". Times of San Diego. Archived from the original on June 1, 2020. Retrieved July 12, 2015.
- ISBN 978-1-4419-8405-0.
- ^ Goldstein, Richard (May 4, 2007). "Walter M. Schirra Jr., Astronaut, Dies at 84". The New York Times. Archived from the original on March 18, 2018. Retrieved March 18, 2018.
- ^ "Walter "Wally" Marty Schirra, Jr". Naval History and Heritage Command. November 16, 2016. Retrieved January 27, 2023.
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- ^ "Medal Winners". The Palm Beach Post. Palm Beach, Florida. August 25, 1966. p. 72. Archived from the original on January 12, 2020. Retrieved April 29, 2019 – via Newspapers.com.
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- ^ "First Apollo flight crew last to be honored". collectSPACE. October 20, 2008. Archived from the original on October 26, 2020. Retrieved March 17, 2018.
- ^ Edson, Peter (November 16, 1962). "Washington..." Shamokin News-Dispatch. Shamokin, Pennsylvania. p. 6. Archived from the original on April 22, 2018. Retrieved April 22, 2018 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ "Walter Marty Schirra". The Hall of Valor Project. Archived from the original on April 22, 2018. Retrieved April 22, 2018.
- ^ Wolfe, Tom (October 25, 1979). "Cooper the Cool jockeys Faith 7—between naps". Chicago Tribune. p. 22. Archived from the original on January 7, 2019. Retrieved January 7, 2019 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ "Astronauts Have Their Day at the White House". Chicago Tribune. Chicago, Illinois. October 11, 1963. p. 3. Archived from the original on January 7, 2019. Retrieved January 7, 2019 – via Newspapers.com.
- OCLC 37451762. NASA SP-4219. Retrieved March 26, 2018.
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- ISBN 978-1-57864-397-4.
- ^ "Commanded Apollo 7, first manned Apollo flight; only man to fly Mercury, Gemini, and Apollo spacecraft". New Mexico Museum of Space History. Retrieved October 3, 2016.
- ^ Harbert, Nancy (September 27, 1981). "Hall to Induct Seven Space Pioneers". Albuquerque Journal. Albuquerque, New Mexico. p. 53. Archived from the original on March 27, 2019. Retrieved March 27, 2019 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ "William [sic] Marty Schirra Jr". National Aviation Hall of Fame. Archived from the original on March 3, 2015. Retrieved February 10, 2011.
- ^ "Walter M. Schirra". Astronaut Scholarship Foundation. 2013. Archived from the original on November 21, 2016. Retrieved March 18, 2018.
- ^ "Mercury Astronauts Dedicate Hall of Fame at Florida Site". Victoria Advocate. Victoria, Texas. Associated Press. May 12, 1990. p. 38. Archived from the original on February 12, 2020. Retrieved June 25, 2019 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ Alloway, Kristen (May 2, 2010). "Jack Nicholson, Susan Sarandon are among 15 inducted into N.J. Hall of Fame". The Star Ledger. Archived from the original on October 16, 2015. Retrieved May 3, 2010.
- ^ "Navy To Christen USNS Wally Schirra" (Press release). United States Department of Defense. Archived from the original on March 9, 2009. Retrieved March 12, 2009.
- ^ "Parks and Public Spaces". Government website of the Borough of Oradell, New Jersey. Archived from the original on December 4, 2017. Retrieved December 3, 2017.
- ^ Google (December 2, 2017). "Schirra Drive" (Map). Google Maps. Google. Retrieved December 2, 2017.
- ^ "Walter M. Schirra Elementary School". www.oldbridgeadmin.org. Archived from the original on August 22, 2010. Retrieved March 12, 2009.
- ^ "WKRP in Cincinnati: Season 1, Episode 2 script | Subs like Script". Archived from the original on June 9, 2023. Retrieved June 9, 2023.
- ISSN 0458-3035. Retrieved August 24, 2018.
- ^ Richmond, Ray (April 1, 1998). "From the Earth to the Moon". Variety. Archived from the original on August 25, 2018. Retrieved August 24, 2018.
- ^ Shattuck, Kathryn (August 13, 2015). "What's On TV Thursday". The New York Times. Archived from the original on August 25, 2018. Retrieved August 24, 2018.
Bibliography
- Wally Schirra & Richard N. Billings, "Schirra's Space", 1988 ISBN 1-55750-792-9
- Wally Schirra, Richard L. Cormier, and Phillip R. Wood with ISBN 1-883809-07-X
- ISBN 1-894959-01-9
- ISBN 1-896522-61-0
- ISBN 1-896522-64-5
- Ed Buckbee with Wally Schirra, "The Real Space Cowboys", 2005 ISBN 1-894959-21-3
External links