Astronaut Walter M. Schirra Jr., Known as Wally, Died at the Age of 84

Astronaut Walter M. Schirra Jr., known as Wally, died Thursday, May 3, 2007, at the age of 84. According to the Associated Press, Ruth Chandler Varonfakis, a family friend and spokeswoman for the San Diego Aerospace Museum, reported that Schirra died from a heart attack at Scripps Green Hospital in La Jolla, California.

Schirra was one of the original seven Mercury astronauts and the only one to fly on all three of NASA 's Mercury, Gemini and Apollo programs.

According to Schirra's website [http://www.wallyschirra.com/], Schirra was born March 12, 1923 in Hackensack, New Jersey. Schirra's father, Walter M. Schirra, Sr., learned how to fly during Word War II and became a barnstormer after the war. Schirra's mother Florence Leach Schirra, performed wing walking stunts on her husband's plane so it was natural for Wally to learn how to fly from his father.

Schirra graduated from Dwight Morrow High School in Englewood, NJ and attended the New Jersey Institute of Technology in 1941. Later Schirra graduated from the US Naval Academy in 1945. He was commissioned United States Naval officer and served in the final months of World War II. Schirra also served as a flight leader during the Korean War, flying 90 combat missions.

After the war Schirra served as a test pilot at China Lake and on April 2, 1959, he was chosen as one of the original seven American astronauts. On October 3, 1962; he piloted the six orbit Sigma 7 Mercury flight. Schirra was then backup command pilot for the Gemini III Mission and was the Command Pilot for the Gemini 6 flight. Schirra's final flight was as the Command Pilot Apollo VII.

Schirra was known as a prankster. One of his jokes was when he was asked for a routine urine sample, and he turned in a 5-gallon water bottle full of yellow liquid.

Schirra was also the first person to give a music performance while in Space. During the Gemini 6 flight, Schirra declared that he had just seen Santa pass by in his sleigh and then he played "Jingle Bells" on his harmonica.