Schirra's Space (Bluejacket Books) Book

Irreverent, provocative, and filled with fascinating anecdotes, this autobiography by one of America's first astronauts offers a revealing inside look at the early days of space flight and the men who captured the heart of the nation. Wally Schirra was the only one of the original seven NASA astronauts to command a spacecraft in all three pioneering space program-Mercury, Gemini, and Apollo. Born to a World War I-ace father and a barnstorming, wing-walking mother, he inherited a love of flying and spirit of adventure that served him well. In this chronicle of an important era in aviation history, Schirra takes us into space on his 1962 Mercury flight that orbited Earth six times and aboard Gemini for the first rendezvous of two manned craft in space. Never reluctant to discuss the problems along with the stunning successes of those exciting, formative years, Schirra openly describes the pressures, tensions, and dangers associated with launch. Schirra does not confine himself to his days as an astronaut but talks candidly about his entire career as a navy pilot, beginning in 1947 with bi-planes, transitioning to jets for combat missions over Korea, and ending with rockets into space. He also offers his views on the space program today and its options for the future. You don't have to be a space buff or a pilot to enjoy his remarkable story.Read More