By: HISTORY.com Editors

1965

First American astronaut walks in space

This Day In History: First American astronaut walks in space, Edward H. White
NASA
Published: February 09, 2010Last Updated: May 27, 2025

On June 3, 1965, 120 miles above the Earth, Major Edward H. White II opens the hatch of the Gemini 4 and steps out of the capsule, becoming the first American astronaut to walk in space. Attached to the craft by a 25-foot tether and controlling his movements with a hand-held oxygen jet-propulsion gun, White remained outside the capsule for just over 20 minutes. As a space walker, White had been preceded by Soviet cosmonaut Aleksei A. Leonov, who on March 18, 1965, was the first man ever to walk in space.

NASA's Early Years

In 1958, NASA was founded and quickly took up the goal of sending a man into Earth's orbit -- and safely returning him home. Seven men were chosen for Project Mercury, embarking on years of training to prepare for a journey no one had made before.

Implemented at the height of the space race, NASA’s Gemini program was the least famous of the three U.S.-manned space programs conducted during the 1960s. However, as an extension of Project Mercury, which put the first American in space in 1961, Gemini laid the groundwork for the more dramatic Apollo lunar missions, which began in 1968.

The Gemini space flights were the first to involve multiple crews, and the extended duration of the missions provided valuable information about the biological effects of longer-term space travel. When the Gemini program ended in 1966, U.S. astronauts had also perfected rendezvous and docking maneuvers with other orbiting vehicles, a skill that would be essential during the three-stage Apollo moon missions.

On June 3, 1965 Edward H. White II became the first American to step outside his spacecraft and let go, setting himself adrift in the zero gravity of space.

On June 3, 1965 Edward H. White II became the first American to step outside his spacecraft and let go.

NASA
On June 3, 1965 Edward H. White II became the first American to step outside his spacecraft and let go, setting himself adrift in the zero gravity of space.

On June 3, 1965 Edward H. White II became the first American to step outside his spacecraft and let go.

NASA

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Citation Information

Article title
First American astronaut walks in space
Website Name
History
Date Accessed
August 21, 2025
Publisher
A&E Television Networks
Last Updated
May 27, 2025
Original Published Date
February 09, 2010

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