The AP headline reads: Astronaut Walter Schirra dies at 84
Can you remember when we stood breathlessly in front of TV screens to watch each launch and recovery? I was a teenager in the sixties and my mom worked as an electronics assembler at Autonetics in Anaheim, CA. She would tell stories over the dinner table of things she was working on, but as a kid I never paid as much attention as I should. She worked on wiring many of the manned spacecraft and even some of the first computer chips.
Today, there are launches and landings that barely make it into the newspapers and news reports. We have come to the point in human history where space travel is nearly as commonplace as hopping on a plane to visit friends.
The AP headline reads: Astronaut Walter Schirra dies at 84 May 3, 2007 - Rancho Santa Fe, California - A true American hero of every space buff who was a child of the sixties, Walter Schirra (affectionaltely called Wally) was noted for his extraordinary personality and sense of humor. He was the third man to orbit the earth and is a member of the Astronaut Hall of Fame. He commanded Gemini 6, a two-man capsule and piloted his ship toward Gemini 7. He maneuvered Gemini 6 so that the two ships passed within a few feet of each other. This was an extremely relevant event in space history. That mission paved the way to linking with space stations that is so commonplace today. One of his most familiar coined words was "moonandback" It was his way of saying that our plans to reach the moon included a scheduled return. He never made that walk on the moon, but his work in space travel contributed to making future missions to the moon a reality.
It saddens me to say goodbye to one of our heroes. It is a marking of an end of a bygone era. Walter Schirra leaves behind a legacy of adventure, humor, and a place in time when space was a new frontier.
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Marlene Bridges, REALTOR® 800 777-1775
South Orange County Real Estate Website
Orange County Seniors Lifestyles Blog
SRES - Seniors Real Estate Specialist®
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Marlene is a highly experienced South Orange County CA REALTOR® specializing in residential Real Estate and the sale of Homes and Condos in South Orange County, California and Saddleback Valley cities of: Laguna Woods, Laguna Hills, Laguna Niguel, Laguna Beach, Rancho Santa Margarita, Lake Forest, Dana Point, San Juan Capistrano, San Clemente, Aliso Viejo, Mission Viejo.
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