Creston astronaut returns home

Former Creston resident and Apollo Seven astronaut Walt Cunningham is back home to serve as Grand Marshall in today’s Fourth of July parade. Cunningham is making his first visit back to Creston since around 1941. Cunningham spent most of his childhood in California and then joined the navy and went on to flight training and a commission in the United States Marine Corps. Cunningham continued to fly and then was accepted by NASA. Cunningham claims he has a distinction others can’t make.He says he’s the only person he knows who went around the world 163 times before going to Europe. Cunningham has kept up with the happenings in the space program even after his retirement in the early 1970S. He says there are some disappointments in the program.He says the program hasn’t moved along as far as they all thought it would when they started it. Cunningham says getting past the moon in space exploration needs to get past Congress firstHe says unless someone takes up the cause, it’s not going to go too far. Cunningham also thinks having private citizens in space is the wrong ideaCunningham says he has no problem with the Russians doing what they want with their space program, and millionaires can spend their money they way they want. He says they should not be allowed on the international space station, and NASA shouldn’t start selling shuttle rides to millionaires, as it would make it hard to justify the other money put into the program. Cunningham is being accompanied on his trip by his wife Dot who is chronicling the trip on video as a gift to their grandchildren.