First US Spacewalk
Explanation:
In 1965, forty years ago on June 3rd, astronaut Edward
White made the
first
U.S. spacewalk.
Tethered to his Gemini IV capsule, White
is pictured above holding a compressed gas "zip gun" for maneuvers
in his right hand.
His spacewalk began over the Pacific
Ocean near
Hawaii and ended 23 minutes later
above the Gulf of Mexico.
Of course, the term
spacewalk
is a bit deceiving as White was
falling freely in low
earth orbit
alongside his capsule manned by fellow
astronaut James McDivitt.
In free-fall, White was able to
control his motions by firing bursts from
his gun until its supply of compressed gas ran out.
He ultimately returned, exhausted, to the
two-man Gemini capsule.
Authors & editors:
Robert Nemiroff
(MTU) &
Jerry Bonnell
(USRA)
NASA Web Site Statements, Warnings,
and Disclaimers
NASA Official: Jay Norris.
Specific
rights apply.
A service of:
LHEA at
NASA /
GSFC
& Michigan Tech. U.
