So long, Wally. Have a good flight.
May. 4th, 2007 12:00 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
unclejimboWally Schirra" has passed away. For those who are not a 'spaceflight fanatic' like me, Wally was one of the original seven Mercury astronauts and flew Mercury, Gemini and Apollo spacecraft. He was a pioneer in spaceflight and was part of the Apollo 7 crew that went on 'strike' when NASA piled the work load on too high. (A president that was followed by one of the Skylab crews and has resulted in scheduled off days for the crews of the International Space Station.)
My favorite story was his response to those who felt that Gus Grissom panicked at the end of his Liberty Bell 7 flight. When Wally returned to Earth from his Sigma 7 flight, he had the ship hoist him onto the deck while he remained in the capsule so he could blow the hatch into a pile of mattresses. After hitting the switch to blow the hatch, something recoiled and cut his hand through the thick glove of his spacesuit, an injury that Gus Grissom did not have after his flight. So much for the 'Right Stuff'.
Later Wally. Thanks for the laughs.
My favorite story was his response to those who felt that Gus Grissom panicked at the end of his Liberty Bell 7 flight. When Wally returned to Earth from his Sigma 7 flight, he had the ship hoist him onto the deck while he remained in the capsule so he could blow the hatch into a pile of mattresses. After hitting the switch to blow the hatch, something recoiled and cut his hand through the thick glove of his spacesuit, an injury that Gus Grissom did not have after his flight. So much for the 'Right Stuff'.
Later Wally. Thanks for the laughs.
