For his first flight, here is an example from Schirra’s papers of the tests he undertook to insure he knew the spacecraft inside and out.

Schirra’s home town of Oradell, New Jersey was very proud of his first foray into space on the Sigma 7 mission. Schirra kept stacks of telegrams that NASA received after each of his successful missions.

Former President Herbert Hoover’s telegram is just one of the many notable messages Schirra received.

Letters such as this addressed to Schirra, with enclosed photographs, show the deep public interest in space at the time in the United States.