Editors Note: This article is dated from January 2023, publication was delayed.

Astronaut Walter Cunningham sadly passed away on January 3rd, 2023, at the age of 90.

Walter Cunningham was a retired American astronaut who was born on March 16, 1932. He was best known for being a member of the Apollo 7 mission, which was the first manned mission in the Apollo program to be launched into space.

Cunningham was a civilian astronaut who joined NASA in 1963 as part of the third group of astronauts selected by the agency. He served as the backup pilot for the Gemini 9 mission and was later selected to fly on the Apollo 1 mission, which tragically ended in a fire during a launch pad test that killed all three crew members.

Cunningham was then reassigned to the Apollo 7 mission, where he served as the lunar module pilot. The mission launched on October 11, 1968, and was the first manned Apollo mission to be launched into space. During the 11-day mission, the crew performed a series of tests and experiments and became the first astronauts to broadcast live television from space.

Walter Cunningham left NASA in 1971 to pursue a career in business and later became a successful entrepreneur and author. He has written several books on space exploration and is an advocate for the advancement of space technology and exploration.

He died in Houston (TX) on January 3rd, 2023. He was 90 years old.

WRITTEN BY Captain AlexRider
EDITED BY Solace
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