Counting Down to Apollo

One American's account of watching humanity reach the Moon

Tag: wally-schirra

Apollo 7 October 11, 1968

They’re Going Up Again

Apollo 7 launched this morning. For the first time since the fire twenty-one months ago, American astronauts are in space. Wally Schirra, Donn Eisele, and Walt Cunningham rode a Saturn IB into orbit and the spacecraft worked. I watched from home. I was not entirely certain, until I saw the…
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Gemini December 15, 1965

Two Ships in the Same Sky

Gemini 6 and Gemini 7 rendezvoused in orbit yesterday — two American spacecraft flying within a foot of each other, 185 miles above Earth. Nobody has ever done anything like this. The pilots waved at each other through their windows. I couldn't understand why I was so moved until Betty…
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