Walter M. Schirra, Jr. R.I.P.

And then there were two.

Walter M. Schirra, Jr., astronaut and one of my childhood heroes died today completing a long and productive life.

There was no bigger astro-geek than your's truly and I knew everything about the first seven astronauts. At one point in my life, well into my adulthood, I could list the names of every astronaut on every mission. I watched or listened to every manned launch until the Challenger blew up. I got into trouble when I was in the sixth grade for listening to a Mercury launch on my little transistor radio. The fact that I was using the earplug so as not to disturb anyone else went unappreciated.

When Neil Armstrong took that one giant step, Wally Schirra was there as Walter Cronkite's technical expert. Mr. Cronkite really didn't need one, but every great play-by-play announcer needs a great color commentator and Wally was the best. As the only astronaut to fly in the Mercury, Gemini and Apollo programs there was no one who knew more about space flight.

Only the great John Glenn and M. Scott Carpenter are left.

Bon voyage Wally. I will miss you.

Jim Martin