San Francisco — The son of astronaut Walter Schirra has pleaded guilty to possession of child pornography following his November arrest at San Francisco International Airport on child sex charges, court records show.

Walter M. Schirra III, 55, of San Francisco, a property manager, entered a guilty plea Aug. 31 to a federal charge of possession of child pornography. He will be sentenced Dec. 7 by U.S. District Judge Charles Breyer in San Francisco.

Schirra was arrested Nov. 6 as he attempted to board a plane for Thailand, allegedly to solicit sex with underage boys, authorities said.

A search of his luggage revealed photos of shirtless Asian boys, prescription drugs to enhance sexual performance, condoms and large amounts of candy, said Special Agent Catherine Miller of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement. None of the seized items is illegal, but a search of a computer at Schirra’s home revealed images of child pornography, Miller said.

In exchange for his plea, prosecutors dropped a charge of attempted travel in foreign commerce with the intent to engage in illlicit sexual conduct.

Schirra was the first person from the Bay Area to be arrested under a law passed last year to crack down on sex tourism.

Schirra is the only son of U.S. astronaut Walter Schirra, one of the original seven astronauts in NASA’s first space program. The senior Schirra orbited Earth in 1962, 1965 and 1968 and is the only astronaut to have flown in the Mercury, Gemini and Apollo programs.

E-mail Henry K. Lee at [email protected].

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