Honoring the life and accomplishments of Astronaut Walter Marty Schirra and expressing condolences on his passing.

Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and agree to the resolution (H. Res. 446) honoring the life and

accomplishments of Astronaut Walter Marty Schirra and expressing condolences on his passing.

Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members have 5 legislative days to revise and extend their remarks and to include extraneous material on H. Res. 446, the resolution now under consideration.

Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to honor the life and accomplishments of one of our heroes of the American space program, astronaut Walter Schirra, known as Wally Schirra. In his 84 years, spanning 1923 to 2007, Captain Schirra took great risks on behalf of his country, including while serving in the Pacific during World War II.

During the Korean War, Captain Schirra served our country as an exchange pilot with the 154th Fighter Bomber Squadron and flew 90 combat missions and downed at least one MIG fighter.

In April of 1959, Wally Schirra was selected by NASA as one of the original Mercury 7 astronauts. On October 3, 1962, he became the third American to orbit the Earth when he piloted his Sigma 7 spacecraft on a six-orbit mission that lasted 9 hours 13 minutes and 11 seconds.

As a brand new American who had just been in this country for a year and about 8 years old, I remember that, and I just remember that as one of the signal moments that I indeed had come to a country where anything and everything was possible, and Wally Schirra and others of the Mercury 7 group demonstrated that to America and to the world.

Wally Schirra went on to pilot the Gemini 6A mission in 1965, which involved the first attempted rendezvous by two manned spacecraft in Earth orbit, and he made his third and final mission in October, 1968, as commander of the first manned Apollo mission, Apollo 7.

During his career as an astronaut, Wally Schirra was the only astronaut to fly aboard all three generations of our late sixties-early seventies spacecraft, the Mercury, the Gemini and Apollo spacecraft. His outstanding service to the U.S. space program is marked by several awards, including the Distinguished Flying Cross, Air Force Medal, NASA Distinguished Service Medal, and induction into the National Aviation Hall of Fame.

Wally Schirra was a tireless advocate for discovery and spent his later years helping to connect children with the amazing possibilities that a career in space exploration can offer.

Mr. Speaker, today, I seek the support of this Chamber to honor the life and accomplishments of astronaut Wally Schirra, to express condolences on his passing, and to recognize the profound importance of astronaut Schirra's record as a space pioneer and a long-time contributor to NASA's mission of space exploration, scientific advancement and education in the United States.

Mr. Speaker, it is only fitting that this Chamber honor Wally Schirra's achievements, and I urge my colleagues to support this resolution.

Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. Speaker, I continue to reserve my time.

Mr. Speaker, I rise to honor the life and accomplishments of Astronaut Walter Marty Schirra, one of our heroes of the American space program.

In his 84 years of life spanning from 1923-2007, Captain Schirra took great risks on behalf of his country.

During the Korean War, Captain Schirra served the country as an exchange pilot with the 154th Fighter Bomber Squadron and flew 90 combat missions and downed at least one MIG fighter.

In April of 1959, ``Wally'' Schirra was selected by NASA as one of the original Mercury 7 astronauts.

On October 3, 1962, he became the third American to orbit the Earth when he piloted his Sigma 7 spacecraft on a six-orbit mission that lasted 9 hours, 13 minutes, and 11 seconds.

He went on to pilot the Gemini 6A mission in 1965, which involved the first attempted rendezvous by two manned spacecraft in Earth orbit, and he made his third and final mission in October 1968 as commander of the first manned Apollo mission, Apollo 7.

During his career as an astronaut, Wally Schirra was the only astronaut to fly aboard the Mercury, Gemini, and Apollo spacecrafts, and his outstanding service to the U.S. space program is marked by several awards, including Distinguished Flying Crosses, Air Medals, NASA Distinguished Service Medals, and induction into the National Aviation Hall of Fame.

Wally Schirra was a tireless advocate for discovery and spent the later years of his life helping to connect children with the amazing possibilities that a career in space exploration can offer.

Mr. Speaker, today I seek support to: honor the life and accomplishments of astronaut Walter ``Wally'' Schirra; to express condolences on his passing; and to recognize the profound importance of Astronaut Schirra's record as a space pioneer and a long-time contributor to NASA's mission as a catalyst to space exploration and scientific advancement in the United States.

Mr. Speaker, it is only fitting that this House honor Wally Schirra's achievements, and I urge my colleagues to support this resolution.

Mr. Speaker, I urge adoption of the resolution, and I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.

Mr. Speaker, I again want to thank Mr. Wu, my friend from Oregon, for this resolution and want to speak in favor of H. Res. 446, which honors the life and accomplishments of an extraordinary man, astronaut Walter Marty Schirra. Wally Schirra, as he was known to nearly everyone, was truly a great American and a terrific human being.

Wally Schirra was born in Hackensack, New Jersey, on March 12, 1923, and was perhaps best known as an accomplished NASA astronaut and human spaceflight pioneer, with the distinction of being the only astronaut to fly aboard the Mercury, Gemini and Apollo spacecrafts. He was named one of NASA's original Mercury 7 astronauts in April of 1959 and became the fifth American to fly into space. Then, as the commander of the Gemini 6A spacecraft, he completed a dramatic rendezvous in space with the Gemini 7 spacecraft.

Schirra then served as commander of the Apollo 7 mission, which was the first Apollo flight after the catastrophic 1967 launch pad fire that killed the original Apollo 1 crew. At the conclusion of the Apollo 7 mission, Schirra had logged 295 hours and 15 minutes in space.

Before his service with NASA, Wally Schirra had already served his country with honor as a pilot in the 154th Fighter Bomber Squadron during the Korean War. Schirra flew over 90 combat missions in F-84E jets and was credited with downing at least one enemy MIG fighter.

What is perhaps less well-known about Wally Schirra is his personal warmth, his contagious sense of humor and his tireless dedication as an advocate for discovery. After his retirement in 1984, he spent many years working to inspire children to pursue their dreams by connecting them to the amazing possibilities of space exploration.

Schirra captured the pride of our entire Nation when he wrote, ``We shared a common dream to test the limits of man's imagination and daring. Those early pioneering flights of Mercury, the performances of Gemini and the trips to the moon established us, once and for, all as what I like to call a spacefaring nation. Like England, Spain and Portugal crossing the seas in search of their nations' greatness, so we reached for the skies and emboldened our Nation.''

I am deeply saddened by Wally Schirra's passing on May 2, 2007. He was truly an American hero. I am proud to support this resolution honoring such a prominent American citizen, military veteran and astronaut.

Mr. Speaker, I urge my colleagues to support H. Res. 446.

Mr. Speaker, I yield 2 minutes to my good friend, the gentleman from California (Mr. Bilbray).

Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.

Mr. Speaker, again, this is a terrific resolution. Mr. Bilbray is rightfully proud to call Wally Schirra a neighbor and a friend. I think America can call him a neighbor and a friend as well.

I expect to be proudly this Friday evening down at Cape Canaveral where we will hopefully send the next shuttle flight into space with some good luck and good fortune. And as I am down there I will join many Americans in thinking about Wally Schirra and the other great heroes that have come forward and made these great feats today possible and the many more opportunities in space that would not have happened without heroes like Wally Schirra.

Mr. Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. Speaker, I rise in support of H. Res. 446, to honor and recognize the life of astronaut Walter Marty Schirra, and to express condolences on his passing. Walter Marty Schirra passed away in La Jolla, CA, at the age of 84.

The American community is sad to have lost one of its original space trailblazer--a true pioneer in both innovation and discovery. In attempting to place men in space, Schirra was chosen to serve as one of the original Mercury 7 astronauts for Project Mercury. Serving as an astronaut and naval officer, Schirra became the first man to fly on all three of our Nation's space programs--Apollo 7, Gemini VI-A, and Mercury 8 (Sigma 7). Prior to his passing, ``Astronaut Wally Schirra'' logged a total of 4577 hours of flight time, with 295 of those being in space. Additionally, he performed 267 landings in an aircraft carrier.

His lifetime of achievement also included a decorated record of service in the United States Military. He flew 90 combat missions in F- 84E jets, as well as downing at least one MIG fighter, while serving as an exchange pilot with the 154th Fighter Bomber Squadron during the Korean War. His courage and valor was eventually recognized with three distinguishing flying crosses, two air medals, two NASA Distinguished Services Medals, and induction into the National Aviation Hall of Fame.

Mr. Speaker, Wally Schirra serves as a positive role model and an asset to the space community. Schirra was an accomplished astronaut whose personal and professional career was filled with positive milestones and accomplishments. Schirra always rejected mediocrity by rejecting to conform to commonplace expectations. Schirra pushed the limits of 2 discovery and was determined to work harder and go farther than anyone before him.

Despite his numerous accomplishments, which ranged from educational attainment, military awards, hall of fame inductions, activeness in diverse clubs and organizations, as well as experiences, his humility was one of his most endearing traits. Although he was a great asset to the space industry, he assumed a very modest character.

As one of the few and profound trailblazers ever known to the United States Naval Academy, NASA, and the space community, he has helped pave the way for much of our knowledge about the operations of the space system. As a Member who represents many NASA-employed constituents and as a strong supporter of the expansion of our space programs, I understand the important role that Schirra played in advancing our scientific explorations in space.

Mr. Speaker, I ask all of my colleagues to join me in recognizing the enormous contributions that late astronaut Walter Marty Schirra has made in the space industry and beyond, while also expressing condolences for his passing.

Mr. Speaker, I rise to, first of all, thank the chairman from Oregon and the ranking member for

supporting my bill, H. Res. 446, in recognition of the life of Wally Schirra. I would just have to say that when we go through the record of the life of Wally, he was a San Diegan for a long time; and we celebrated Wally as a neighbor and as a friend and as a national and international hero.

The fact is that he did serve extensively, like many San Diegans, in the military, with three Distinguished Flying Crosses, two Air Medals, more than a MIG or two on the side. He obviously went into the space race with a lot of accomplishments.

Being the only individual to fly in all three of the first stages of manned space flight for America was unique, but I think, as was pointed out before, Wally is a man that filled in so often when others might have hesitated.

After the terrible disaster of losing astronauts in a major fire, he did not hesitate to look forward to being the first to step back into those capsules and move on and move up with our space race. That kind of bravery we didn't really take into consideration at the time. What a huge challenge it must have been to explain to your wife, ``Honey, I am going to get in this capsule. Somebody has to do it, and I will be the one.'' We don't think about that family, that personal aspect of being a hero and moving forward with those kinds of accomplishments.

I also would like to say that we forget that, without the docking procedure that Wally was able to master, there was not going to be any trip to the moon. It was an essential component, as important as any missile, any rocket, any control system. The ability for man to dock with another spaceship was an essential part, and Wally was a major part of that.

But I want to thank all my colleagues for supporting this bill. Wally was our neighbor, he was our friend, and he really did live a life that San Diegans are proud of in public service. He spent his later years working with the local museums for flight history, and he also spent a lot of time on his sailboat in San Diego.

But I want to thank all of you, because Wally was not just a hero to the world and to America; he was a neighbor and a friend to those of us in San Diego.

Mr. Speaker, today I rise to recognize the life of one of our great space pioneers, Walter M. ``Wally'' Schirra and to speak in support of H. Res. 446, a resolution to recognize his many accomplishments and honor his memory.

Wally Schirra was one of the original seven Mercury Astronauts and the only astronaut to fly in all three of the earliest manned space programs: Mercury, Gemini, and Apollo.

He was known for being an exact and precise pilot, and this aviation excellence speaks for itself as Capt. Schirra flew 90 combat missions while serving in the Navy during the Korean War. Later, during his Gemini 6 mission as a NASA astronaut, Schirra conducted the first rendezvous of manned spacecraft in orbit, considered one of the most challenging tasks in space flight at the time.

Capt. Schirra was a great astronaut and a great American. What many of my colleagues may not realize is that Wally Schirra became an active businessman and citizen in Colorado after retiring from the space program.

In the decade after he retired from NASA's Astronaut Corps, he moved to Denver where he lived a life as a successful businessman and an active environmentalist. When he first came to Colorado, he became the president of an investment company. Several years after that, he started an environmental management firm that concentrated their efforts towards developing solutions for environmental problems faced by the government and private industry.

In addition to being an advisor to Colorado State University, Capt. Schirra was also an avid outdoors man, as evidenced by his tenure as a trustee of the Colorado Outward Bound School.

Later in his life, while he continued to be busy in civic life, he played an active role in Colorado politics and served as Colorado's honorary chairman for Ronald Reagan's presidential campaign.

I and my fellow Coloradans will miss him, and I urge my colleagues to honor his memory by passing H. Res. 446.