Astronauts aboard the International Space Station and on theground took time out to remember legendary journalist Walter Cronkite.
Cronkite, a television newsanchorman who chronicled American spaceflight and NASA's historicApollo 11 moon landing in 1969, died Friday at the age of 92.
"We noticed that a gentleman and a pioneer passed away,and that person of course is Walter Cronkite," space shuttle Endeavourcommander Mark Polansky radioed down from the space station Saturday. "Andwe thought that we'd be remiss in not recognizing him for what he meant to abunch of us who happened to grow up in the era where early astronauts of Mercury,Gemini and Apollo were going up."
Polanksy recalled watching Cronkite interview astronauts ontelevision. And mission specialist Dave Wolf said he had been lucky enough tosit next to Cronkite providing commentary when John Glenn made his spaceshuttle flight in 1998.
Cronkite's work "inspired a lot of us," Polanskysaid. "We did want to salute Mr. Cronkite and offer our best wishes andcondolences to his family."
Apollo 11 moonwalkerNeil Armstrong himself saluted the former CBS anchorman Saturday.
"He had a passion for human space exploration, anenthusiasm that was contagious, and the trust of his audience," Armstrongin a statement Saturday. "He will be missed."
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