[Congressional Record Volume 153, Number 72 (Thursday, May 3, 2007)]
[Senate]
[Page S5560]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                 TRIBUTE TO WALTER M. ``WALLY'' SCHIRRA

 Mr. MARTINEZ. Mr. President, I want to commend a great 
American, Astronaut Walter M. ``Wally'' Schirra, who passed away today. 
Captain Schirra leaves behind a praiseworthy legacy as a Navy veteran, 
a pioneer for NASA and of outer-space exploration, a television 
commentator, and a devoted husband and father.
  Captain Schirra began his distinguished career in the U.S. Navy when 
he arrived in Annapolis in the early days of World War II; he graduated 
from the U.S. Naval Academy in 1945 and soon became a pilot through 
Naval Flight Training in Pensacola, FL. Through an exchange program 
with the Air Force during the Korean war, he proudly served our Nation 
as a pilot of F-86 Sabres.
  He carried this dedicated service to America into the stratosphere 
and beyond, making history as one of the ``Original Seven'' astronauts 
named by NASA to the Mercury program. On October 3, 1962, Captain 
Schirra became the first person ever to orbit the Earth 6 times. He is 
unique in that he is the only astronaut to have flown in NASA's first 3 
space programs: Mercury, Gemini, and Apollo. After retiring from NASA, 
he later served with distinction as a widely known television 
commentator for CBS.
  The passion that Wally Schirra had for space exploration and his 
accomplishments as a pioneer astronaut underscore the importance of our 
continuing to strengthen the NASA space program. The Apollo 7 mission--
under the command of Schirra--proved to those at NASA that they had the 
ability to send a spacecraft into orbit around the moon. Since then, 
NASA has taken many giant leaps. We must continue the exploration, 
research, and discovery that have all constituted NASA's trademark for 
decades.
  Exploration into outer space helps us to better understand the world 
in which we live. NASA understood this well when they sent Captain 
Wally Schirra into outers pace nearly 45 years ago; I am hopeful that 
this vision and reach will only continue to grow with time.
  On behalf of Florida and the people of the United States, I thank 
Captain Schirra for his service to country and the science he helped to 
advance. He will be missed.

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