Loughborough College Space students have been given the chance to meet a pioneering NASA astronaut who paved the way for Neil Armstrong and the Apollo 11 crew’s mission to the Moon.
Lunar module pilot Walt Cunningham visited the National Space Centre in Leicester to share his thrilling experiences of space exploration, including the 11-day Apollo-7 flight to test procedures which would help enable the historic mission eight months later, and which also provided the first effective television transmission of on-board crew activities.
Students from the Space Engineering course, launched by Loughborough College in association with the National Space Academy, heard Walt describe his 263 hours as pilot on this third generation Apollo spacecraft, the first to carry a crew into space.
“Our Space students had the opportunity to hear first hand how the four and half million-mile October 1968 mission testing ignition, docking and manoeuvres led to the Apollo 11 team stepping on the Moon less than a year later,” said Dr Martin Killeen, Head of Advanced Manufacturing and Technology at Loughborough College.
“They were able to ask Walt questions following his presentation talk and book signing and to chat with him – and they were thrilled to also be given the opportunity to be photographed with him.
“The whole day was a real inspiration.”
As well as reflecting on his time with fellow astronauts Walter M. Schirra, Jr. and Donn F. Eisele on Apollo 7, the NASA pilot shared his thoughts on the future of space exploration, suggesting pushing frontiers by returning to the Moon before taking the step of putting humans on Mars in 20 or 30 years.
He also pointed out how astronaut selection is also now very different from the early days, when bravery and experience were the main criteria.
But when the Russians began to focus on the psychology of their cosmonauts and the Americans saw how people suffered from stress after extended periods on the Mir space station, a greater emphasis was placed on psychological testing and people working well together.
"During Apollo it didn't matter. You were only up there for a few days so if you didn't get on you'd just have to suck it up.”
Pictured: Loughborough College Space students and staff with (centre) NASA astronaut Walt Cunningham