The Apollo 7 mission revived NASA's quest to put men on the moon after a landing-pad fire killed three astronauts. The man was 90.
He died according to NASA.
A group of people, including a physicist and a former Marine pilot, were on a mission. They were the first NASA astronauts to appear on television from space after completing 163 laps of the Earth in a reconstructed space capsule.
The capsule fire that took the lives of four men, including Edward H. White II, as they practiced for an Apollo 1 mission at Cape Kennedy, Fla., galvanized the nation.
Mr. Cunningham wrote about carrying the nation's hope in his memoir. Three of our teammates died in a fire on the very pad from which we launched. The chances of landing a man on the moon before 1970 are gone because of one more setbacks.
He said that the task wasn't only technical. There were still psychological barriers that needed to be addressed.
Mr. Cunningham had a brush cut and was lean. He had never been a test pilot. NASA was interested in recruiting astronauts with scientific expertise.
Neil Armstrong was the first man to walk on the moon and was the second civilian to fly in the program.
Mr. Cunningham was in charge of the Apollo 7 flight systems.
The maneuverability and reliability tests were performed on Apollo 7 after it blasted off. The docking of the capsule with a lunar module that would carry two astronauts from the capsule to the moon and back is certain to go off without a hitch. The Apollo 7 astronauts successfully tested an engine in the back of their capsule that will be used on a future mission to the moon.
For the first time, astronauts brought a camera with them. They put together a hand-lettered sign that said, "Hello from the lovely Apollo Room, High Atop Everything" after they demonstrated how they could float in their weightless environment.
There was a problem, though, that Captain Schirra had a heavy head cold, Major Eisele had a lesser cold, and Mr. Cunningham felt a little bit confused. The cold could cause the eardrums to burst as the astronauts returned to Earth.
They were just fine when they splashed down a little over a mile off target. Apollo 8 went to the moon in order to get ready for the moon landing.
Apollo 7 had some issues. Captain Schirra had disagreements with NASA controllers. He protested the agency's schedule for TV transmissions, which he felt took valuable time away from the astronauts' work, by speaking on an open microphone. The rule requiring pressurized helmets on re-entry was put in place because of the risk of injury to the eardrums of the astronauts. He was able to get his way.
NASA was told by Captain Schirra that he would retire after Apollo 7. The mission was the last one for both Mr. Cunningham and Major Eisle.
In his memoir, Gene Kranz, one of the flight directors for Apollo 7, wrote that he didn't know why Schirra had a burr under his saddle. He might not have been able to deal with the irritation of having something so piddling as a cold invades the trip of a lifetime. The careers of the two younger astronauts didn't go well. They didn't fly in space again.
In his memoir, "Flight: My Life in Mission Control" (2001), the director of flight operations for the Apollo program wrote that Mr. Cunningham had supported Captain Schirra on the helmet issue. Donald Slayton, who selected crews for the Apollo missions, was told by Mr.Kraft that this crew shouldn't fly again.
Mr. Cunningham told Mr. Kraft that he was in a tough position and that he could possibly fly again. He didn't do it.
When he was part of the backup crew for Apollo 10, he was able to go into space for the first time.
Mr. Cunningham wrote in his memoir that he did not feel justified in the behavior and abuse that was being heaped on the ground because Captain Schirra had viewed each encounter with the ground controllers as a challenge to his authority and judgement as captain of the ship.
The entire crew was tarred and feathered by Captain Schirra, but they were never hauled on the carpet.
The crew of Apollo 7 had to settle for NASA's second highest award, the exceptional service medal, while the crews of Skylab and Apollo were given the top award, the distinguished service medal.
At an October 2008 ceremony, NASA upgraded the Apollo 7 astronauts' medals to the distinguished service citation, despite the arguments with flight controllers. By that time, Mr. Cunningham was the only one alive. Captain Schirra, who died in 2007, was represented by Bill Anders, who was also anastrologer.
A conciliatory stance was taken by Mr.Kraft. He told Mr. Cunningham that they had given him a hard time, but he had done well since. I am very proud to call you a friend because you have done well for yourself and for NASA.
Cunningham was the oldest of five children and was born in Creston, Iowa. Walter had a business. His family moved to California when he was young.
He flew jets for the Marines in the 1950s. He graduated from the University of California, Los Angeles with a degree in physics after leaving active service. He was named to NASA's third group of astronauts while studying at the RAND Institute.
The Skylab program, which developed America's first space station, was started by Mr. Cunningham. Pete Conrad replaced him. After failing to get an assignment to fly in Skylab, Mr. Cunningham left NASA.
Mr. Cunningham went on to become a senior executive at some companies. A group of former astronauts and NASA employees sent a letter to the agency in 2012 questioning the agency's claims that man-made carbon dioxide was a factor in global warming.
Mrs. Cunningham is Mr. Cunningham's widow. There was no complete information on survivors at the time.
Mr Cunningham said that his NASA experience gave him confidence.
He told The Times that he considered it a spectacle when he was managing a $1 billion real estate complex. I thought there was nothing I couldn't handle.
He said that everything he encountered in the flight could be explained. It did not alter my view of the world. It didn't have anything new.
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