NASA astronaut Walter Cunningham is photographed during the Apollo 7 mission of Oct. 11-22, 1968. Cunningham died Tuesday at the age of 90. Photo courtesy of NASA/UPI
Jan. 3 (UPI) — Walter Cunningham, the last surviving astronaut from NASA’s famed Apollo 7 mission, died early Tuesday in Houston at the age of 90, officials said.
NASA Administrator Bill Nelson confirmed Cunningham’s death in a statement. He described the late astronaut as having paved the way for future U.S. space travel as one of three members on Apollo 7, NASA’s first crewed space flight.
“Walter Cunningham was a fighter pilot, physicist and an entrepreneur — but above all, he was an explorer,” Nelson said. “NASA will always remember his contributions to our nation’s space program and sends our condolences to the Cunningham family.”
Cunningham, along with Donn Eisele and Walter “Wally” Schirra, was aboard the 11-day Apollo 7 mission that launched on Oct. 11, 1968.
During the first crewed space mission, the three men tested necessary maneuvers for docking and lunar orbit rendezvous. The mission, for which Cunningham served as lunar module pilot, also provided the first live television transmission of onboard crew activities, NASA said.
Cunningham was the last surviving member of the crew after Eisele died in 1987 at the age of 57 and Schirra in 2007 at the age of 84.
Walter Cunningham (L) is shown here with Apollo 7 crew members Donn Eisele (C) and Wally Schirra (R) in 1967. File Photo by NASA/UPI.
“On behalf of NASA’s Johnson Space Center, we are beholden to Walt’s service to our nation and dedication to the advancement of human space exploration,” Vanessa Wyche, center director, said in a statement. “Walt’s accomplished legacy will continue to serve as an inspiration to us all.”
Born March 16, 1932, in Creston, Iowa, Cunningham joined the Navy in 1951. He flew 54 missions as a night fighter pilot in Korea before joining the Rand Corporation as a scientist working on classified defense studies.
In 1963, Cunningham was selected as an astronaut by NASA. He would retire from the space agency in 1971.
His family through NASA released a statement expressing their “immense pride” in the life that Cunningham lived and “deep gratitude for the man that he was.”
“The world has lost another true hero, and we will miss him dearly,” the statement reads.
