Farewell to Walter Cunningham, the last of the 3 Apollo 7 astronauts

The last of the three Apollo 7 astronauts, Walter Cunningham, has died at the age of 90.

In 1968 he had been involved in the 11-day flight around the Earth, with live broadcasts, which had paved the way for the moon landing.

Cunningham, who was a civilian at the time and was the lunar module pilot, were US Navy Captain Walter M. Schirra and US Air Force Major Donn F. Eisele.

The three Apollo 7 astronauts had also won a special Emmy award for their daily television reports from orbit, in which they clowned around, held humorous signs, and educated Earthlings about spaceflight.

Cunningham, after his career at NASA, had worked in the engineering and business sectors, becoming a public speaker and a radio host.

(Unioneonline/ss)