Walter Marty Schirra Jr. was an American naval aviator, test pilot, and NASA astronaut. In 1959, he became one of the original seven astronauts chosen for Project Mercury, which was the United States' first effort to put humans into space. On October 3, 1962, he flew the six-orbit, nine-hour, Mercury-Atlas 8 mission, in a spacecraft he nicknamed Sigma 7, becoming the fifth American and ninth human to travel into space. In December 1965, as part of the two-man Gemini program, he achieved the first space rendezvous, station-keeping his Gemini 6A spacecraft within 1 foot (30 cm) of the sister Gemini 7 spacecraft. In October 1968, he commanded Apollo 7, an 11-day low Earth orbit shakedown test of the three-man Apollo Command/Service Module and the first crewed launch for the Apollo program.
Wally Schirra, American captain, pilot, and astronaut (born 1923)
On May 3, in the year 2007, Wally Schirra, American captain, pilot, and astronaut (born 1923). This event is recorded as a Notable Deaths event in the history of May 3, one of 381 recorded events on this date across all of history.
1 notable person is associated with this event, including Wally Schirra. Learn more below.
Key Facts
- This event took place on May 3, 2007 (AD era).
- It is categorised as a Notable Deaths event in recorded history.
- Referenced in 1 Wikipedia article.
- 1 notable person is recorded as involved in or associated with this event.
- Wikipedia source last updated on 29 April 2026.
On This Date in History 381
This article draws on content from Wikipedia, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.
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