Walt Cunningham adjusts his pressure suit before the Apollo 7 launch on October 11, 1968. Credit: NASA
(CNN) --
Walter Cunningham, retired NASA astronaut and pilot of the first manned flight in the space agency's Apollo program, died Tuesday at age 90, NASA reported.
Cunningham was an early member of NASA's manned spaceflight program: he was a member of its third class of astronauts, joining the agency in 1963. He was selected to fly Apollo 7, the program's first manned mission that led for the first time humans to the Moon.
They find mutations in the DNA of astronauts who have traveled to space
"We would like to express our immense pride in the life he enjoyed and our deep gratitude for the man he was: patriot, explorer, pilot, astronaut, husband, brother, and father," the Cunningham family said in a statement shared by NASA.
"The world has lost another true hero, and he will be sorely missed."
Cunningham writes with a Fisher Space Pen during the Apollo 7 mission, the first manned Apollo flight and the Space Pen's first trip into space.
Since then, the pens have been used on all NASA manned spaceflight missions.
Credit: NASA
The Apollo 7 mission was launched in 1968 and lasted approximately 11 days, sending the crew on a journey into orbit that amounted to a test flight that could demonstrate the ability of the Apollo capsule to rendezvous with another orbiting spacecraft and pave the way. for future explorations deeper in space.
She was also known for achieving the first live television broadcast of Americans from space, according to NASA.
Cunningham was the last survivor of the Apollo 7 crew, which also included astronauts Wally Schirra and Donn Eisele.
Born in Creston, Iowa, with a BA with honors in Physics and an MBA with distinction in Physics from the University of California, Los Angeles, Cunningham was 36 when the Apollo 7 mission launched. During an interview with the Office of Oral History of the NASA in 1999, reflected on his career path and his motivations.
advertising
The crew of NASA's first manned Apollo flight: Cunningham, Donn F. Eisele, and Walter M. Schirra, left to right, prepare for mission simulator testing in 1968 at the North American Aviation plant.
(Credit: NASA)
"I'm one of those people who has never looked back. I only remember it when someone asks me about becoming an astronaut," Cunningham said.
"The only thing I remember is that I stood my ground and wanted to do the best I could, without realizing it at the time, but I always wanted to be better prepared for the next step. I have always looked to the future. I don't live in the past." added.
Although he only ventured into outer space once, Cunningham became one of the leaders of NASA's Skylab program, the first US space station to orbit the Earth from 1973 to 1979.
Before joining NASA, Cunningham enlisted in the US Navy and began training as a pilot in 1952, according to his official NASA biography, and served as a fighter pilot with the US Marine Corps on 54 missions in Korea. .
"The only thing I remember doing specifically to become an astronaut, because I felt that I had become one of the best fighter pilots in the world, if not the best," Cunningham told NASA's Office of Oral History. .
The "Blue Marble": One of the most iconic images of Earth, 50 years later
Cunningham also earned a Ph.D. in physics at UCLA without completing a thesis, and later, in 1974, completed an advanced management program at the Harvard Graduate School of Business, according to NASA.
Before joining the astronaut corps, he worked as a physicist for the Rand Corporation, a nonprofit military think tank.
After leaving the space agency, Cunningham held various roles in the private sector.
According to his NASA biography, he held various executive positions at development companies, worked as a consultant to startups, became an entrepreneur and investor, and eventually a radio talk show host.
In recent years, Cunningham has also been an outspoken critic of prevailing notions about humanity's impact on climate change.
Apollo MissionsNASA