Walter Cunningham is known for his impressive success across the US Marine Corps, National Aeronautics, Space Administration and the Apollo 7 mission. Now a prominent speaker, Walter engages audiences with his experiences in private business, engineering and space travel. He has been presenting immersive speeches at a variety of events worldwide, including conventions, conferences and government events since his retirement. Drawing on his ventures across the world and diverse experience in management, Walter is an inspiring figure.
After graduating from Venice High School in 1950, Walter began his studies at Santa Monica College, until enrolling in the U.S Navy in 1951. Just 15 months into his enrolment, he began flight training and went on to serve on active duty as a fighter pilot in the U.S Marine Corps. From 1953-56, Walter flew 54 missions in Korea as a night fighter pilot then followed his career further for 23 years of service as a U.S Marine Corps Reserve, finally retiring at the rank of colonel. During his time as a reserve, Walter sparked an interest in space flight and also continued his college studies, receiving a Bachelor’s and Master’s Degree in Physics at UCLA. Whilst part of the Marine Corps, Walter continued to fly and worked with the RAND corporation on classified studies. It was during this time that he was chosen to join NASA as an engineer and astronaut. Walter spent 8 years with NASA specialising in electric power systems and complex systems analysis and contributed to the development of the Apollo aircraft.
As well as contributing to the development and design of the Apollo VII aircraft, Walter piloted the craft, travelling in space for a total of 263 hours travelling in space and orbiting Earth 163 times. Walter reached the title of Chief of the Skylab Astronauts and was involved in the design, development, and integration of systems for many spacecrafts. He has made a mark in history as the pilot of the first manned Apollo aircraft and is commended for his engagement in 56 revolutionary experiments. Succeeding his space career and thrilling service, in 1971 Walter expanded to business activities.
Within his business career, Walter helped run over 30 financial organisations and institutions, held presidencies in two multi-national engineering companies, and vice presidency in a commercial property development company. Walter currently serves on the board of 17 organisations and has links to two national bank charters. With an extensive career surrounding many divisions of expertise, Walter offers a broad school of thought, with mention to his business outlook. As an adventurous character, Walter is a highly sought-after speaker for many events.
