Author
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Topic: Astronaut Walter 'Wally' Schirra (1923-2007)
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Robert Pearlman Editor Posts: 50093 From: Houston, TX Registered: Nov 1999
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posted 05-03-2007 10:28 AM
With heartfelt sadness, we mourn the loss of Mercury, Gemini and Apollo astronaut, Walter M. "Wally" Schirra at the age 84. He passed away early Thursday (May 3, 2007) after having been hospitalized for a heart attack.Original astronaut Wally Schirra dies at 84"It's a terrible loss of a dear friend, cherished comrade and a brother," said Schirra's fellow Mercury astronaut Scott Carpenter. "Despite our good natured competition for flights into space, Wally strove to bring a smile to everyone he met and its with a smile that I will forever fondly remember him." ![](http://www.collectspace.com/images/news-050307a-lg.jpg) NASA Administrator Michael Griffin said the following: Today is a sad day for NASA and our country, as we mourn the passing yesterday in California of astronaut Walter "Wally" Schirra. With Wally's passing, we at NASA note with sorrow the loss of yet another of the pioneers of human spaceflight. As a Mercury astronaut, Wally was a member of the first group of astronauts to be selected, often referred to as the "Original Seven." Wally is remembered in the close circle of the space community as the pilot who flew a "textbook flight" on his Mercury mission in October 1962. But Wally's spaceflight career went well beyond Mercury; on his next flight, in December 1965, he commanded the Gemini 6 mission with Tom Stafford as pilot. Wally and Tom carried out the first rendezvous in space, flying for hours in formation with Frank Borman and Jim Lovell in their Gemini 7 spacecraft, and completing one of the key steps along the path to the moon. The fact that this mission flew at all will always be known as a testimony to Wally's cool precision under stress, for Gemini 6 experienced the first on-pad engine shutdown in human spaceflight history. Worse, the crew had a liftoff indication triggered by a faulty umbilical connection; according to mission rules, they should have ejected from the spacecraft. But Wally did not feel what he thought he should have felt had the booster really begun to take flight, and so the crew stayed aboard, saving the mission and quite possibly the program. Wally's last flight was Apollo 7, the first to be conducted in the aftermath of the disastrous Apollo 1 fire. This flight was another enormous success, accomplishing "101% of its objectives," according to the post-flight debrief. It also made Wally the first man to command three different spacecraft, and the only one to fly Mercury, Gemini and Apollo. It was impossible to know Wally, even to meet him, without realizing at once that he was a man who relished the lighter side of life, the puns and jokes and pranks that can enliven a gathering. But this was a distraction from the true nature of the man. His record as a pioneering space pilot shows the real stuff of which he was made. We who have inherited today's space program will always be in his debt. A moment of silence is signified by an entry with no words and only a period. |
Scott Member Posts: 3337 From: Houston, TX Registered: May 2001
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posted 05-03-2007 10:31 AM
My sympathies to his family and friends. He was a really nice guy and I enjoyed very much meeting and talking with him in San Antonio. |
lewarren Member Posts: 269 From: Houston, TX, USA Registered: Aug 2001
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posted 05-03-2007 10:47 AM
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SCE to AUX Member Posts: 245 From: Anytown USA Registered: Feb 2006
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posted 05-03-2007 10:48 AM
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Larry McGlynn Member Posts: 1407 From: Boston, MA Registered: Jul 2003
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posted 05-03-2007 10:51 AM
I will miss his sense of humor. |
Rob Sumowski Member Posts: 468 From: Macon, Georgia Registered: Feb 2000
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posted 05-03-2007 10:54 AM
Godspeed, Wally. You were always so kind to me, and to all of us. God be with you. |
Machodoc Member Posts: 209 From: Bryn Mawr PA Registered: Aug 2005
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posted 05-03-2007 10:57 AM
While they are/were all special, Wally's ready laugh and legendary sense of humor is what always made him my favorite.I feel as if I've lost a close friend. Godspeed and rest easy Wally, and and thoughts and prayers to the family. |
767FO Member Posts: 269 From: Boca Raton, FL Registered: Sep 2002
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posted 05-03-2007 10:57 AM
Was so sorry to hear this. What a truly classy and great guy he was! |
Rick Mulheirn Member Posts: 4512 From: England Registered: Feb 2001
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posted 05-03-2007 10:58 AM
RIP the unique Wally Schirra. |
Gilbert Member Posts: 1480 From: Carrollton, GA USA Registered: Jan 2003
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posted 05-03-2007 10:58 AM
This is sad news. Wally was always my favorite. What a loss. |
Hawkman Member Posts: 400 From: Union, New Jersey Registered: Jan 2001
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posted 05-03-2007 11:00 AM
A REAL hero to me and many others. I'm an truly honored to have met him and am deeply saddened by his passing. |
James Brown Member Posts: 1288 From: Atlanta, Georgia, USA Registered: Jun 2000
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posted 05-03-2007 11:02 AM
Godspeed Wally Schirra. |
PowerCat Member Posts: 213 From: Herington, KS, USA Registered: Feb 2006
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posted 05-03-2007 11:06 AM
Godspeed, Wally! One remembers the many "gotcha" stories from Dee O'Hara. You will be greatly missed. |
ea757grrl Member Posts: 793 From: South Carolina Registered: Jul 2006
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posted 05-03-2007 11:11 AM
The older I get, the more my heroes disappear. Godspeed, Wally. I love all the Original Seven, but you were always my guy. |
413 is in Member Posts: 679 From: Alexandria, VA USA Registered: May 2006
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posted 05-03-2007 11:18 AM
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Joe Holloway Member Posts: 74 From: Knoxville, Tennessee, USA Registered: Jan 2007
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posted 05-03-2007 11:23 AM
I have just learned this news with the deepest of sadness.From a distance, I got to see Captain Schirra in person at the Apollo news center years ago. He's one of those larger-than-life characters whom you wish you could have talked to at length. Fair winds and following seas, Wally. |
sts205cdr Member Posts: 745 From: Sacramento, CA Registered: Jun 2001
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posted 05-03-2007 11:26 AM
Blue skies, Skyray. |
Peter S Member Posts: 102 From: Toronto, Ontario , Canada Registered: Jan 2006
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posted 05-03-2007 11:32 AM
A sad day... we've lost another Hero... Godspeed Wally! |
rjurek349 Member Posts: 1223 From: Northwest Indiana Registered: Jan 2002
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posted 05-03-2007 11:34 AM
Like so many others, I will miss his humor and genuine humaness! Very sad news, indeed. My thoughts and prayers are with his family. |
divemaster Member Posts: 1376 From: ridgefield, ct Registered: May 2002
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posted 05-03-2007 11:36 AM
A dear, personal friend. A pleasure to work with. A delightful man who took me into his personal life.And I'm sure he's laughing like hell at me right now, because since the news of his passing, the server that hosts WallySchirra.Com has had a complete meltdown due to the overwhelming amount of hits. Everyone loves Wally. |
Rob Joyner Member Posts: 1308 From: GA, USA Registered: Jan 2004
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posted 05-03-2007 11:41 AM
Wally was the very first astronaut I met. I'll remember that handshake forever. Today is a sad day indeed. |
Moonwalker1954 Member Posts: 255 From: Montreal, Canada Registered: Jul 2004
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posted 05-03-2007 11:42 AM
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micropooz Member Posts: 1669 From: Washington, DC, USA Registered: Apr 2003
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posted 05-03-2007 11:50 AM
I remember after the autograph show in New Jersey a couple of years ago, Wally showed up at the hotel bar and sat down with a bunch of us. I can't imagine too many (if any) other astronauts that would have sat down for a drink with a bunch of space geeks like us. I'll always treasure that memory... |
Matt T Member Posts: 1372 From: Chester, Cheshire, UK Registered: May 2001
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posted 05-03-2007 11:51 AM
A life lived fully if ever there was one. Keep those fond memories coming in folks! |
KSCartist Member Posts: 3038 From: Titusville, FL Registered: Feb 2005
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posted 05-03-2007 11:52 AM
I had the pleasure of meeting Wally Schirra at the HOF in 1992 and 1997. Always a gracious guy. In 1992 when he posed for a photo with me he was just finishing chewing a bite of food - and flash the picture was taken. In 1997 I reminded him how our first photo didn't quite turn out as I hoped so he pulled me over to Sigma 7 and we posed again. I keep them both.Godspeed Wally and thank you for your service to our country and space program. My prayers for your family. This Saturday at the HOF Induction I'm going to wear a turtle on my shirt in his honor. YBYSAIA |
icarkie Member Posts: 618 From: BURTON ON TRENT /England Registered: Nov 2002
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posted 05-03-2007 11:56 AM
I'm so sad to here about Wally Passing away. One of the greats who had The Right Stuff. My thoughts and prayers to his family... |
Aztecdoug Member Posts: 1405 From: Huntington Beach Registered: Feb 2000
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posted 05-03-2007 12:09 PM
Hey Wally, where ever you are up there... Thanks for sharing a few moments of your life here and there with me. I will treasure those moments for the rest of my days.Oh yeah, and I will raise a glass of Chardonnay in your honor. Cheers! |
Richard New Member Posts: 5 From: Morrisonville, New York USA Registered: Apr 2009
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posted 05-03-2007 12:11 PM
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astroborg Member Posts: 209 From: Woodbridge, VA, USA Registered: Nov 2000
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posted 05-03-2007 12:14 PM
What an outstanding mix of humor and seriousness, while striving for excellence; similar, yet so different from Pete Conrad. |
Jake Member Posts: 473 From: Independence, OR U.S.A. Registered: Jun 2002
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posted 05-03-2007 12:14 PM
Sadness indeed... Wally signed an artist's image of the mercury splashdown for me a number of years ago. He commented that a number of the boats he owned were named SPLASHDOWN. Let's hope that he will forever enjoy a "happy and peaceful splashdown". |
lunarrv15 Member Posts: 1357 From: Cincinnati, Ohio, Hamilton Registered: Mar 2001
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posted 05-03-2007 12:15 PM
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NavySpaceFan Member Posts: 663 From: Norfolk, VA Registered: May 2007
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posted 05-03-2007 12:18 PM
Fair winds and following seas, Captain Schirra. |
LoneStarScouter unregistered
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posted 05-03-2007 12:25 PM
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redstorm63 Member Posts: 41 From: Charlotte, NC, USA Registered: Oct 2002
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posted 05-03-2007 12:26 PM
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gliderpilotuk Member Posts: 3415 From: London, UK Registered: Feb 2002
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posted 05-03-2007 12:27 PM
Had the pleasure of meeting both Gordo and Wally at Burbank - what a classy team. Very sad that Wally has passed on. My sympathy to his family. |
mdmyer Member Posts: 900 From: Humboldt KS USA Registered: Dec 2003
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posted 05-03-2007 12:31 PM
Wally was very kind to Miranda and myself. We had only meet him twice but those were so special that Miranda and I had decided that we would try to set with him at the Cape show. I dread having to tell Miranda that his is gone. We will both cherish our brief time with him. All of our best wishes to his family. |
Madon_space Member Posts: 682 From: uk Registered: Sep 2002
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posted 05-03-2007 12:31 PM
I have just heard this very sad news and would just like to echo what everyone else has already said.I have never met any of these space heroes in person but i have always felt that i know them. Thank you for being you. RIP |
mikepf Member Posts: 448 From: San Jose, California, USA Registered: Mar 2002
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posted 05-03-2007 12:31 PM
Sad news. Wally is one of my biggest heroes. It was a great honor and pleasure to meet him in Burbank. My sadness is only relieved by imagining what kind of gotcha Alan Shepard has been preparing for him up there. |
Saturn V Member Posts: 176 From: Golden, Colorado, USA Registered: Nov 2006
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posted 05-03-2007 12:33 PM
Thank you, Wally, for all you have done for our/your country. We will miss you. God bless Wally Shirra. |
ejectr Member Posts: 1956 From: Killingly, CT Registered: Mar 2002
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posted 05-03-2007 12:34 PM
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