Walter M. Schirra, Jr.
MISSIONS: Mercury 8; Gemini 6; Apollo 7
Born: March 12, 1923 in Hackensack, New Jersey, graduated with a B.S. degree from the U.S. Naval Academy at Annapolis in 1945.
After serving as a fighter pilot during the Korean conflict, he attended the U.S. Naval Test Pilot School at Patuxent River, Maryland.
Selected as one of the 7 original astronauts in 1959, he was aboard Mercury 8 (Sigma) which orbited the Earth on October 3, 1962. The previous orbital flights by Glenn and Carpenter had demonstrated the ability for humans to operate in a weightless environment; however, Schirra's flight was noted for its contribution to data on longer term operations by humans inside a spacecraft.
Schirra subsequently flew on the later Gemini 6 (December 15~16, 1965) and Apollo 7 (October 11~22, 1968) missions.
He has since retired from the Navy.
Matt's Space Memorabilia