Shirra was the fifth American in space, piloting Sigma 7 , left, [Photo: NASA] on a six orbit flight that lasted nine hours. He also served as command pilot on Gemini 6 and on Apollo 7, the first orbital flight of the spacecraft that eventually took men to the moon.
Retiring from NASA and the United States Navy in 1969, Schirra had a successful career in business, finishing his life as a consultant.
Schirra launched a website, wallyshirra.com, in 2005.
-30-