Former US astronaut Walter Cunningham has died at the age of 90, the US space agency NASA said on Wednesday.
Walter Cunningham was known as a crew member of Apollo 7, the first Apollo program mission to carry a crew of three astronauts into space in October 1968.
This 11-day mission was a life-size test for the American space conquest.
The Apollo module was tested in space for the first time with three people on board.
Walter Cunningham, Walter Schirra (the mission commander) and Donn Eisele then succeeded the crew of Apollo 1, who died in the fire of their cabin during a test in February 1967.
Considered a technical success, Apollo 7 paved the way for lunar missions, Apollo 11 being the first in this series in July 1969. Walter Cunningham was the last surviving member of the Apollo 7 crew. The three Americans did not had never taken part in a manned flight in orbit.
