Ronnie Walter Cunningham (March 16, 1932 – January 3, 2023)

Walter Cunningham, the last surviving astronaut from the first
successful crewed space mission in NASA’s Apollo program,
died Tuesday in Houston. He was a lunar module pilot on the 
1968 Apollo 7 mission. NASA confirmed Cunningham’s death
on Twitter.

Apollo 7 crewmates Donn Eisele (at left), Wally Schirra
(center) and Walt Cunningham.  (NASA)

During Apollo 8‘s 10 lunar orbits, television images were sent
back home and spectacular photos were taken of the Earth
and the moon from the spacecraft. In addition to being the
First human beings to view firsthand their home world in its
entirety, the three astronauts were also the first to see the far
side of the moon. On Christmas morning, Apollo 8 left its lunar
orbit and began its journey back to Earth, landing safely in the
Pacific Ocean on December 27, 1968.

SANDY KOZEL

ED DANAHUE

Apollo 8 crew (from left) Frank Borman, William Anders, and James Lovell.

Apollo 12, the second manned mission to the surface of the
moon, was launched from Cape Canaveral, Florida, with
astronauts Charles Conrad, Jr.; Richard F. Gordon, Jr.; and
Alan L. Bean aboard. President Richard Nixon viewed the
liftoff from Pad A at Cape Canaveral, the first president to 
attend the liftoff of a manned space flight.

Thirty-six seconds after takeoff, lightning struck the ascending
Saturn 5 launch rocket, which tripped the circuit breakers in the command module and caused a power failure. Fortunately, the
launching rocket continued up normally, and within a few
minutes power was restored in the spacecraft.

December 12, 1969