Astronaut who took part in America’s first successful manned space mission, Apollo 7, in 1968
had been the first. Their vehicle was Apollo 7, which Cunningham regarded as providing the first of the five highly successful “giant steps” – Apollos 8, 9 and 10 provided the next three – that culminated, 10 months later, with Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin, from Apollo 11, making the first moon landing.
Cunningham suggested that Schirra felt the burden of restoring confidence after Apollo 1. According to Stafford, Schirra became “more openly critical and sarcastic” and, once in orbit, attempted to assert his – rather than Mission Control’s – command over the voyage, including vetoing the timing of the first live TV space broadcast. Problems were exacerbated when, after a day, Schirra developed a heavy cold, which he passed on to Eisele.
In 1977 his memoir, The All-American Boys, was published, covering his Nasa years. The Apollo 7 fracas had provided a fleeting glimpse of discord, but Cunningham’s book was a deeper insight into that curious culture which emerged around the Mercury, Gemini and Apollo programmes, one of commitment, competition and fragmented lives. “No one knew,” he wrote, “what the astronauts stood for other than God, country and the space programme.
Cunningham was born in Creston, Iowa, the oldest of five children. The family moved to Venice, California, where he was educated at the local high school. His father, Walter, ran a cement contracting business, while his mother provided the ambition in the family. As a 10-year-old, watching the film Hell Divers, young Walt resolved to join the US navy air force.
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