50 Years Ago Today - Space Cowboy

Edward Higgens White II, Lt. Col. USAF. The first American to walk in space on this date in 1965.

Pilot of the Gemini IV mission (Command Pilot James McDivitt), he was the first American to put on a suit made by the low bid contractor and step out of their tin can in orbit over the planet. Took a walk on the wild side.

Ed White's EVA was relatively trouble free. When McDivitt ordered him back in he said "I'm coming back in and it's the saddest moment of my life". A year later Eugene Cernan had a much tougher spacewalk testing a new backpack with boosters that gave him maneuvering fits. Astronaut Edwin "Buzz" Aldrin, second man on the moon got in the pool in Houston and figured out effective techniques for working in zero g.

Ed White was killed in the Apollo 1 fire on January 27 1967 along with astronauts Gus Grissom and Roger Chaffee.

But 50 years ago today he owned space. Walked into nothingness like a boss.

ALSO don't miss Ben's morning news constitutional below.

updated: I screwed up Ed's name, thanks commenter pedant

posted by Dave In Texas at 09:12 AM

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