Schirra, << shih RAH, >> Walter Marty, Jr. (1923-2007), served as a United States astronaut from 1959 to 1969. He was one of the seven original astronauts and the first to fly in three different types of spacecraft— Mercury , Gemini , and Apollo .
On Oct. 3, 1962, Schirra circled Earth six times in Sigma 7, a Mercury program spacecraft. He took part in the first space rendezvous (meeting) on Dec. 15, 1965, when he and Thomas P. Stafford guided Gemini 6 to within 1 foot (30 centimeters) of Gemini 7. Schirra was the commander of Gemini 6 and of Apollo 7, which was the first U.S. spacecraft to successfully carry three men.
Schirra was born on March 12, 1923, in Hackensack, New Jersey, and learned to fly airplanes as a boy. His parents were stunt fliers. Schirra graduated from the U.S. Naval Academy in 1945. He flew 90 combat missions during the Korean War (1950-1953). He retired from the astronaut program and the Navy in 1969. Schirra died on May 3, 2007.
