Editing Apollo 7 (section)

==Assessment and aftermath==
[[File:Apollo 7 and 8 Crew in the White House. - GPN-2000-001686.jpg|thumb|Apollo 7 and 8 astronauts at the White House with President Lyndon and First Lady Lady Bird Johnson, Vice President Humphrey, NASA Administrator [[James E. Webb]] and [[Charles Lindbergh]]]]
After the mission, NASA awarded Schirra, Eisele and Cunningham its [[NASA Exceptional Service Medal|Exceptional Service Medal]] in recognition of their success. On November 2, 1968, President [[Lyndon B. Johnson]] held a ceremony at the [[LBJ Ranch]] in Johnson City, Texas, to present the astronauts with the medals. He also presented NASA's highest honor, the [[NASA Distinguished Service Medal|Distinguished Service Medal]], to recently retired NASA administrator [[James E. Webb]], for his "outstanding leadership of America's space program" since the beginning of Apollo.<ref>{{cite speech|url=https://www.presidency.ucsb.edu/node/236803|title=Remarks at a Ceremony Honoring the Apollo 7 Astronauts and Former NASA Administrator James E. Webb|event=Reception at LBJ Ranch, Johnson City, Texas |publisher=The American Presidency Project|first=Lyndon B.|last=Johnson|author-link=Lyndon B. Johnson|date=November 2, 1968}}</ref> Johnson also invited the crew to the White House, and they went there in December 1968.<ref name = "acc" />

Despite the difficulties between the crew and Mission Control, the mission successfully met its objectives to verify the Apollo command and service module's flightworthiness, allowing Apollo{{spaces}}8's flight to the Moon to proceed just two months later.<ref name="Apollo Crew Honored 2008">{{cite web |url=http://www.collectspace.com/news/news-102008a.html |title=First Apollo flight crew last to be honored |last=Pearlman |first=Robert Z. |date=October 20, 2008 |website=collectSPACE |publisher=Robert Pearlman |access-date=June 12, 2014}}</ref> John T. McQuiston wrote in ''[[The New York Times]]'' after Eisele's death in 1987 that Apollo{{spaces}}7's success brought renewed confidence to NASA's space program.<ref name = "Eisele obit" /> According to Jones, "Three weeks after the Apollo{{spaces}}7 crew returned, NASA administrator [[Thomas O. Paine|Thomas Paine]] green-lighted Apollo{{spaces}}8 to launch in late December and orbit the Moon. Apollo{{spaces}}7 had delivered NASA from its trial by fire—it was the first small step down a path that would lead [[Apollo 11|another crew]], nine months later, to the [[Sea of Tranquility]]."<ref name = "fight" />

[[File:Apollo 7 crew debriefing.jpeg|thumb|left|The Apollo 7 crew is debriefed, October 23, 1968]]
General [[Samuel C. Phillips|Sam Phillips]], the Apollo Program Manager, said at the time, "Apollo{{spaces}}7 goes into my book as a perfect mission. We accomplished 101 percent of our objectives."<ref name = "fight" /> Kraft wrote, "Schirra and his crew did it all—or at least all of it that counted{{spaces}}... [T]hey proved to everyone's satisfaction that the SPS engine was one of the most reliable we'd ever sent into space. They operated the Command and Service Modules with true professionalism."<ref name = "fight" /> Eisele wrote, "We were insolent, high-handed, and Machiavellian at times. Call it paranoia, call it smart—it got the job done. We had a great flight."<ref name = "fight" />
Kranz stated in 1998, "we all look back now with a longer perspective. Schirra really wasn't on us as bad as it seemed at the time.{{spaces}}... Bottom line was, even with a grumpy commander, we got the job done as a team."{{sfn|French & Burgess 2007|pp=1073–1074}}

None of the Apollo 7 crew members flew in space again.{{sfn|French & Burgess 2007|pp=1077–1078}} According to Jim Lovell, "Apollo{{spaces}}7 was a very successful flight—they did an excellent job—but it was a very contentious flight. They all teed off the ground people quite considerably, and I think that kind of put a stop on future flights [for them]."{{sfn|French & Burgess 2007|pp=1077–1078}} Schirra had announced, before the flight,<ref name=hboldst>{{cite news |url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=Ia1VAAAAIBAJ&sjid=BOEDAAAAIBAJ&pg=6602%2C4771765 |work=Eugene Register-Guard |location=(Oregon) |agency=Associated Press |last=Benedict |first=Howard |title=Oldest U.S. astronaut eyes retirement |date=September 22, 1968 |page=8A}}</ref> his retirement from NASA and the Navy, effective July 1, 1969.{{sfn|Schirra 1988|p=189}} The other two crew members had their spaceflight careers stunted by their involvement in Apollo{{spaces}}7; by some accounts, Kraft told Slayton he was unwilling to work in future with any member of the crew.{{sfn|French & Burgess 2007|pp=1074–1075}} Cunningham heard the rumors that Kraft had said this and confronted him in early 1969; Kraft denied making the statement "but his reaction wasn't exactly outraged innocence."{{sfn|Cunningham 2003|p=183}} Eisele's career may also have been affected by becoming the first active astronaut to divorce, followed by a quick remarriage, and an indifferent performance as backup CMP for Apollo{{spaces}}10.{{sfn|Cunningham 2003|pp=217–220}} He resigned from the Astronaut Office in 1970 though he remained with NASA at the [[Langley Research Center]] in Virginia until 1972, when he was eligible for retirement.{{sfn|French & Burgess 2007|pp=1116–1121}}{{sfn|Eisele 2017|pp=121–122}} Cunningham was made the leader of the Astronaut Office's [[Skylab]] division. He related that he was informally offered command of the first Skylab crew, but when this instead went to [[Apollo&nbsp;12]] commander [[Pete Conrad]], with Cunningham offered the position of backup commander, he resigned as an astronaut in 1971.{{sfn|French & Burgess 2007|pp=1079–1082}}{{sfn|Cunningham 2003|p=291}}

Schirra, Eisele and Cunningham were the only crew, of all the Apollo, Skylab and Apollo–Soyuz missions, who had not been awarded the Distinguished Service Medal immediately following their missions (though Schirra had received the medal twice before, for his Mercury and Gemini missions). Therefore, NASA administrator [[Michael D. Griffin]] decided to belatedly award the medals to the crew in October 2008, "[f]or exemplary performance in meeting all the Apollo{{spaces}}7 mission objectives and more on the first crewed Apollo mission, paving the way for the first flight to the Moon on Apollo{{spaces}}8 and the first crewed lunar landing on Apollo{{spaces}}11." Only Cunningham was still alive at the time as Eisele had died in 1987 and Schirra in 2007.<ref name="Schirra's Obituary" /><ref name="Apollo Crew Honored 2008" /> Eisele's widow accepted his medal, and Apollo&nbsp;8 crew member [[Bill Anders]] accepted Schirra's. Other Apollo astronauts, including [[Neil Armstrong]], [[Buzz Aldrin]], and [[Alan Bean]], were present at the award ceremony. Kraft, who had been in conflict with the crew during the mission, sent a conciliatory video message of congratulations, saying: "We gave you a hard time once but you certainly survived that and have done extremely well since{{spaces}}... I am frankly, very proud to call you a friend."<ref name="Apollo Crew Honored 2008" />