The last Apollo astronaut on the first manned flight has died at the age of 90

Yesterday, the US space agency “NASA” announced the death of the last astronaut of the crew of the first manned space flight of the Apollo series, which revolved around the Earth for 11 days in 1968.

A NASA statement said Walter Cunningham died in Houston at the age of 90 early yesterday morning.

"Walt Cunningham was a fighter pilot, a physicist, and an entrepreneur, but above all, he was an explorer," NASA Administrator Bill Nelson was quoted as saying.

"Aboard Apollo 7, the first manned mission to be launched, Walt and his comrades made history, paving the way for the generation of Artemis we see today," he added.

He continued, "NASA will always remember his contributions to our nation's space program and we send our condolences to the Cunningham family."

Cunningham and fellow astronauts Walter Schirra and Don Fulton Eisell launched on the 11-day Apollo 7 space mission on October 11, 1968.

Cunningham was born in Creston, Iowa, on March 16, 1932. After obtaining a doctorate in physics, he was selected as an astronaut by NASA in 1963.

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