Astronaut Ed White became the first American to walk in space on this day, June 3, 1965.
White, an engineer, lieutenant colonel in the U.S. Air Force, test pilot and NASA astronaut, performed the spacewalk, technically known as “Extravehicular Activity” or “EVA,” while serving as a pilot on the mission Gemini 4.
Command pilot James McDivitt was the other crew member and took photographs of White outside the vehicle.
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White spent about 20 minutes floating outside the Gemini 4 capsule, nearly double the time NASA initially allowed for the spacewalk.
“At first, White pulled himself to the end of the 8-meter rope and returned to the spacecraft three times using the handgun,” NASA's website says.
White was the first person to use this type of propulsion, a manual maneuvering unit, on a spacewalk.
Astronaut Ed White, the first American to walk in space, photographed during the Gemini 4 mission. This photograph was taken by fellow astronaut James McDivitt. (Getty Images)
However, fuel for the propulsion weapon ran out three minutes into the spacewalk, forcing White to move “by twisting his body and pulling on the tether,” NASA said.
Situation aside, White enjoyed the experience.
“I feel like a million dollars,” White said as he began his spacewalk, according to NASA.
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During the spacewalk, White took photographs of Earth from 103 miles above its surface and was reportedly extremely reluctant to return to the capsule.
“This is the greatest experience,” White said. “It's just tremendous.”
Back on Earth, mission control professionals were a little more concerned about White's safety, NASA's website notes.
Astronaut Ed White, seen here reviewing procedures on the spacecraft prior to escape training. White was the first American to walk in space. (Getty Images)
“Gemini 4, come back in,” Virgil “Gus” Grissom allegedly yelled at White.
Grissom, a fellow astronaut, was serving as “CapCom” during Gemini 4.
White initially rejected the request to end the spacewalk, saying it was “great” and the experience was “fun” before relenting, NASA revealed.
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“I go back in… and it's the saddest moment of my life,” White said when he finally agreed to go back into the capsule.
In addition to the first American EVA, Gemini 4 was another historic mission in NASA history. It was the first multi-day space flight by the United States, although it was shorter than a previous Soviet space flight.
White, a devout Methodist, carried with him a gold cross, a medal of St. Christopher, and a Star of David in Gemini 4. (Getty Images)
It was also the first American space flight in which astronauts conducted experiments.
White's EVA was considerably softer than the first EVA.
On March 18, 10 weeks before White's spacewalk, Soviet cosmonaut Alexei Leonov performed the first spacewalk as part of the Voskhod 2 mission, according to the European Space Agency's website.
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He almost didn't make it back.
Leonov's spacesuit expanded in space, to such an extent that he could not fit through the door back into the capsule after 12 minutes outside the vehicle.
Shown above are the primary and backup astronaut crews for Gemini 4, the second manned Gemini mission. On the far left is astronaut Ed White, the first American to walk in space. Right next to him is James A. McDivitt, the pilot in command of the mission. (Getty Images)
Making “a chilling decision, he opened a valve in the suit to let out enough air so he could enter the airlock,” the European Space Agency said.
As for astronaut White, his time came to a sudden and tragic end 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 rehearsal test for the Apollo 1 mission.
White was buried at West Point Cemetery in New York with full military honors, according to the National Air and Space Museum website.
Official NASA portrait of Ed White, the first American astronaut to spacewalk. (Getty Images)
During his spacewalk, White experienced something otherworldly. He later confided to his friend, the Rev. Jackson Downey of the First Methodist Church in Cocoa Beach, Florida, that there, alone in space, he had felt “the presence of God,” according to the Christian website. Crosswalk.com.
In 2015, on the 50th anniversary of his spacewalk, White was posthumously awarded NASA's Ambassador of Exploration Award.
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“In many ways, Ed's spacewalk was the modern equivalent of Lewis and Clark's journey through the Gates of the Mountains during the exploration of the West. He had ventured into uncharted territory,” said NASA Deputy Administrator Dava Newman, in 2015 at the ceremony honoring White, according to the National Air and Space Museum site.
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“That historic achievement is a big part of the reason why Mars is now within our sights, and we will continue to advance EVA's technological advancements as we advance our journey to Mars.”
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