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As a child I went to a circus. They had a man shot out of a cannon into a net. I became intrigued with what was going on.

Wally Schirra

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Wally Schirra
Age: 84 †
Born: 1923
Born: March 12
Died: 2007
Died: May 3
Aerospace Engineer
Aircraft Pilot
Astronaut
Autobiographer
Aviator
Businessperson
Test Pilot
United States Naval Aviator
Hackensack
New Jersey
Walter 'Wally' Marty Schirra
Jr.
Walter Marty Schirra
Jr.
Shot
Shots
Became
Went
Child
Cannon
Children
Cannons
Going
Intrigued
Men
Circus

More quotes by Wally Schirra

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I played English football - soccer - instead of American football, because we couldn't afford the equipment.
Wally Schirra
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Kids today don't want to get married. Too many of their friends have been married and divorced already. They just don't believe in it
Wally Schirra
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You don't raise heroes, you raise sons. And if you treat them like sons, they'll turn out to be heroes, even if it's just in your own eyes.
Wally Schirra
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I remember seeing war hero Jimmy Doolittle fly a Gee Bee racer there. He was my childhood hero. Many years later, I was lucky enough to go hunting with him.
Wally Schirra
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When a test pilot comes off a flight, there is typically another pilot who is going to take it up, and he believes in the debriefing. You don't keep something to yourself
Wally Schirra
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When a man looks across a street, sees a pretty girl, and waves at her, that's not a rendezvous, that's a passing acquaintance. When he walks across the street and nibbles on her ear, that's a rendezvous!
Wally Schirra
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Some of the wives didn't keep up with the program. It started breaking apart during the Apollo days.
Wally Schirra
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Kennedy had made a mess in Cuba at the Bay of Pigs. He had to do something to look good. The Apollo program of going to the Moon was quite a goal.
Wally Schirra
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Each test pilot I know considers him, or herself, now that there are women, to be the very best. It's very demeaning to step down the ladder once in a while
Wally Schirra
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I don't think the space station will ever do anything for exploration. Putting people up there for a year or more is the only way you will get anywhere near the exploration concept
Wally Schirra
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Another real problem was over putting our helmets on for re-entry, because we all had severe head colds. They couldn't come up there and make us. Houston, you have a problem!
Wally Schirra
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He who commands an Apollo flight will not command a second one
Wally Schirra
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We spent a lot of time in simulators. We were going to do it right.
Wally Schirra
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John Glenn craved the publicity. I think even John would admit that. When he went into politics, that became pretty obvious! He knew how to do public relations.
Wally Schirra
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I left Earth three times and found no other place to go. Please take care of Spaceship Earth.
Wally Schirra
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Apollo was a big, unwieldy vehicle. I had a problem with the flight controllers over that. It would try to fare its way like an airplane.
Wally Schirra
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A little levity is appropriate in a dangerous trade.
Wally Schirra
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Dad went to Canada to learn how to fly with the Royal Canadian Air Force. He took me on my first airplane ride, where I could have a hand on the stick.
Wally Schirra
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When people have asked if I'd like to go in the Shuttle, I said you don't get to fly it, except for landing, which I'd love to do. I wouldn't go unless I could command it
Wally Schirra
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I had always wanted to go to the Navy. As a young kid, I was intrigued by a Naval Officer with the beautiful brown shoes and sharp gold wings.
Wally Schirra