Wally Schirra, one of the original Mercury seven astronauts, died this week at age 84.
Schirra, a US Navy test pilot, was chosen as one of NASA's first astronauts for Project Mercury in 1959. His 1962 solo spaceflight was dubbed "a real engineering test flight" by Mercury Flight Director Chris Kraft.
Schirra went on to pilot Gemini 6A, the first manned spaceflight to achieve an orbital rendezvous with another spacecraft, and he commanded the maiden flight of the Apollo space program, Apollo 7.
Of the original Mercury Seven, only astronauts John Glenn and Scott Carpenter are still alive.
By Patrick di Justo
