The San Diego Air & Space Museum recently had a video conversation with one of its Hall of Famers, Walter “Walt” Cunningham, a Marine Corps aviator, NASA astronaut and author. Walt originally enlisted in the U.S. Navy in 1951. After receiving his pilot's wings, he was given a Marine Corps commission, and his long and distinguished career spanned 23 years where he accumulated more than 4,400 flight hours in over 35 different aircraft. In 1963, he became only the third civilian astronaut at NASA. In October 1968, Cunningham journeyed into space aboard Apollo 7, orbiting the Earth for 11 days. It was the first manned mission of the Apollo program and marked the first time humans had flown on the Saturn 1B rocket. The success of Apollo 7 was critical to the decision to send humans to the moon for the first time on Apollo 8 in December of 1968.