Wally Schirra

• 1. Swiss Roots And Wartime Acceleration

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  Walter Marty Schirra Jr. was born on the 12th of March 1923 in Hackensack, New Jersey. His family history stretched back to the Italian-speaking village of Loco in Ticino, Switzerland. His grandfather Adam Schirra emigrated from Bavaria to the United States with his wife Josephina. The elder Schirra served in the Royal Canadian Air Force during World War I flying bombing missions over Germany. After that war ended, he performed as a barnstormer at county fairs in New Jersey. Schirra's mother Florence Shillito Schirra also performed wing walking stunts at these same events. He grew up in Oradell, New Jersey and attended Dwight Morrow High School. In June 1940 he graduated and enrolled in Newark College of Engineering. Following the attack on Pearl Harbor in December 1941 he decided to apply for a service academy. His father encouraged him to apply to West Point but he chose the United States Naval Academy instead. He completed his Bachelor of Science degree in 1945 after only three years due to a wartime accelerated curriculum.

• 2. Korean Combat And Test Pilot Training

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  Schirra received his naval aviator wings in 1948 and joined Fighter Squadron 71 at Quonset Point Rhode Island. He flew the F8F Bearcat before transitioning to jet-powered aircraft like the F-80 Shooting Star. He was deployed to the Mediterranean aboard an aircraft carrier at the outbreak of the Korean War in June 1950. He applied for an exchange program with the U.S. Air Force to gain combat experience and was selected for it. Schirra flew missions into South Korea from Itazuke Air Force Base in Japan. During an eight-month deployment he flew 90 combat missions and downed two MiG-15s. After completing his tour in Korea he became a test pilot at Naval Ordnance Test Station China Lake California. At China Lake he tested various weapons systems including becoming the first pilot to fly with and fire the Sidewinder missile. He attended the U.S. Naval Test Pilot School in 1958 where he learned to fly numerous aircraft including the F4D Skyray and the F11F Tiger. His classmates included future fellow astronauts Jim Lovell and Pete Conrad.

• 3. Mercury Selection And Sigma Seven Flight

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  In February 1959 Schirra was one of 110 military test pilots selected as candidates for Project Mercury. Following several rounds of tests he became a member of the original seven astronauts selected for the program in April 1959. At 7:15am on the 3rd of October 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. He reported rising suit temperatures reaching a high level before he was able to adjust his suit's cooling system manually. Throughout his mission he 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 from the recovery ship the aircraft carrier 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. He and his family were invited to the Oval Office at the White House to meet President Kennedy on October 16.

• 4. Gemini Rendezvous And Christmas Jingle

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  At the beginning of the Gemini program Alan Shepard was assigned to command Gemini 3 with Tom Stafford as the pilot but they were replaced by a backup crew after Shepard was diagnosed with Ménière's disease. Schirra and Stafford became the backup crew for the new Gemini 3 crew Gus Grissom and John Young and were subsequently scheduled for the Gemini 6 primary crew. The Agena vehicle exploded during its launch into orbit on the 25th of October 1965 while Schirra and Stafford waited in their spacecraft to lift off. Program managers decided that rather than wait for a replacement Agena to be available they would revise the mission calling it Gemini 6A and having it attempt a rendezvous with Gemini 7. On the 4th of December 1965 Gemini 7 lifted off to begin its two-week mission. Gemini 6A prepared to launch on December 12 but its engines shut down less than two seconds after ignition. Despite protocols calling for the astronauts to eject from the spacecraft in the event of an engine shutdown Schirra chose not to activate his and Stafford's rocket-powered ejection seats saving them both from probable injuries and a further delay and possible cancellation of the mission. Gemini 6A lifted off on December 15 and successfully rendezvoused with Gemini 7 after five hours of flight. The two spacecraft maneuvered to within one foot of each other and kept station for 5 hours. While on the Gemini mission Schirra played a Christmas practical joke on the flight controllers by first reporting a mock UFO sighting implying Santa Claus then playing Jingle Bells on a four-hole Hohner harmonica he had smuggled on board accompanied by Stafford on sleigh bells.

• 5. Apollo Command And Helmet Refusal

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  In mid-1966 Schirra was assigned to command a three-man Apollo crew with Donn F. Eisele and R. Walter Cunningham to make the second crewed flight test of the Apollo Command/Service Module. Schirra argued against a repeat mission and his crew became the backup crew for Gus Grissom Ed White and Roger Chaffee. Schirra's crew conducted tests in the command module on the 26th of January 1967 and were en route to Houston the next day when Grissom and his crew were killed in a fire during a test. Schirra's crew became the prime crew of the first crewed flight which became Apollo 7 in the program's revised mission numbering plan. Apollo 7 was launched on the 11th of October 1968 making Schirra the first person to fly in space three times. During the mission Schirra became sick with a head cold which he passed to Eisele. Anticipating issues with congestion inside of a sealed spacesuit Schirra proposed to Mission Control that they would not wear their helmets during reentry. Despite a request from Chris Kraft and Deke Slayton to wear helmets during reentry Schirra Eisele and Cunningham refused and performed reentry without them. Apollo 7 landed southeast of Bermuda on the 22nd of October 1968.

• 6. Corporate Leadership And Media Consulting

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  Prior to the Apollo 7 launch Schirra had decided to retire after the flight and left the NASA Astronaut Corps on the 1st of July 1969. On the same date Schirra retired from the Navy with the rank of Captain. Following his NASA career Schirra became president and a director of the financial and leasing company Regency Investors Incorporated. He left Regency Investors to form Environmental Control Company and served as the company's chairman and chief executive officer from 1970 to 1973. The company merged with SERNCO Incorporated in 1973. Schirra started as vice-chairman but was elected as chairman of the board later that year. In January 1979 Schirra founded Schirra Enterprises and worked as a consultant until 1980. 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 and including the ill-fated Apollo 13. Years later when pseudoephedrine decongestant with triprolidine antihistamine became available over the counter as Actifed the makers hired Schirra as a television commercial spokesman based on the notoriety of his Apollo 7 in-space head cold.

• 7. Awards And Posthumous Tributes

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  Schirra died on the 3rd of May 2007 of a heart attack while undergoing treatment for abdominal cancer at Scripps Green Hospital in San Diego California. He was 84 years old. A memorial service for Schirra was held on May 22 at Fort Rosecrans National Cemetery in California. The ceremony concluded with a three-volley salute and a flyover by three F/A-18s. Schirra was cremated and his ashes were committed to the sea on the 11th of February 2008. His numerous military decorations include three Air Medals and three NASA Distinguished Service Medals including one posthumously. He received the Navy Distinguished Service Medal for commanding Apollo 7 and also awarded a Distinguished Flying Cross for escorting B-29 bombers during the Korean War. Schirra was inducted into the International Air & Space Hall of Fame in 1970 and the U.S. Astronaut Hall of Fame in 1990. The USS Wally Schirra named for him was christened and launched the 8th of March 2009. A street is named after Schirra in Upper Dublin Pennsylvania and a park in Oradell New Jersey. There is a Walter M. Schirra Elementary School in Old Bridge Township New Jersey.