Astronaut Ed White became the first American to walk in space on this day in history, June 3, 1965.
White, an engineer, lieutenant colonel in the US Air Force, test pilot and NASA astronaut, made a spacewalk – technically known as an “Extravehicular Activity” or “EVA” – while piloting the Gemini 4 mission.
Command pilot James McDivitt was another crew member, and took pictures of White outside the vehicle.
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White spent about 20 minutes floating outside the Gemini 4 capsule, nearly double the time allowed by NASA for a spacewalk.
“First, White pushed himself behind an 8-meter rope and returned to the spacecraft three times using a handgun,” NASA’s website said.
White was the first person to use this type of propulsion, a hand maneuvering unit, on a spacewalk.
Astronaut Ed White, the first American to walk in space, was photographed during the Gemini 4 mission. This image was taken by fellow astronaut James McDivitt. (Getty Images)
However, the fuel for the propulsion gun ran out three minutes into the spacewalk, forcing White to get around by “twisting his body and pulling on the tether,” said NASA.
Putting aside the situation, White enjoyed the experience.
“I feel like a million bucks,” White said as he began the spacewalk, according to NASA.
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While on the spacewalk, White took pictures of Earth from 103 miles above the surface, and reportedly was very reluctant to return to the capsule.
“It was the greatest experience,” White said. “It’s just incredible.”
Back on Earth, the professionals in mission control were just a hair more concerned about White’s safety, the NASA website notes.
Astronaut Ed White, seen here reviewing procedures aboard the spacecraft prior to the escape drill. White was the first American to walk in space. (Getty Images)
“Gemini 4, come back in,” Virgil “Gus” Grissom told White.
Grissom, a fellow astronaut, served as “CapCom” during Gemini 4.
White initially denied the request to end the spacewalk, saying he was “very good” and that the experience was “fun” before giving in, NASA said.
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“I came back … and it was the saddest moment of my life,” White said when he finally agreed to reenter the capsule.
In addition to the first US EVA, Gemini 4 was another milestone mission in NASA history. This was the first multi-day space flight by the United States, although it was shorter than any previous Soviet space flight.
A devout Methodist, White carried a gold cross, a St. Christopher and the Star of David with him in Gemini 4. (Getty Images)
It was also the first US spaceship where astronauts conducted experiments.
The White EVA is softer than the first EVA.
On March 18, 10 weeks before Spacewalk White, Soviet cosmonaut Alexei Leonov made the first spacewalk as part of the Voskhod 2 mission, according to the European Space Agency’s website.
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He could barely make it back.
Leonov’s space suit grew in space – until he could no longer fit through the entrance back into the capsule after 12 minutes outside the vehicle.
Shown above, the primary and backup astronaut crews for Gemini 4, the second manned Gemini mission. At far left is astronaut Ed White, the first American to walk in space. Right next to it was James A. McDivitt, the mission’s command pilot. (Getty Images)
Making a “hair-raising decision, he opened a valve in the suit to let in enough air to get into the airlock,” the European Space Agency said.
For astronaut White, the time fell and was tragic less than two years after his historic spacewalk.
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White, along with fellow astronauts Grissom and Roger B. Chaffee, died on January 27, 1967, when their cabin caught fire during a launch training test of the Apollo 1 mission.
White was buried at West Point Cemetery in New York with full military honors, the National Air and Space Museum website said.
Official NASA portrait of Ed White, the first American astronaut to walk in space. (Getty Images)
During his spacewalk, White experienced something other-worldly. He later told his friend, the Reverend Jackson Downey of the First Methodist Church in Cocoa Beach, Florida, that while in space he felt “the presence of God,” according to the Christian website Crosswalk.com.
In 2015, on the 50th anniversary of the spacewalk, White was posthumously awarded a NASA Ambassador for Exploration.
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“In many ways, Ed’s spacewalk is the modern equivalent of Lewis and Clark’s portage through the Gates of the Mountains during their exploration of the West. They have entered uncharted territory,” said NASA Deputy Administrator Dava Newman in 2015 at the honoring ceremony. White, according to the National Air and Space Museum website.
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“These historic achievements are a big part of the reason why Mars is now in our sights, and we will continue to push the advancement of EVA technology as we move forward on our journey to Mars.”
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