Astronaut Edward H. White II, pilot for the Gemini-Titan 4 space flight, floats in space during America’s first spacewalk.

He is the first American to conduct a spacewalk.

On June 3, 1965, the spacewalk started at 3:45 p.m. EDT on the third orbit when White opened the hatch and used the hand-held maneuvering oxygen-jet gun to push himself out of the capsule.

White spent 23 minutes maneuvering around his spacecraft as Jim McDivitt remained inside the spacecraft.


White is attached to the spacecraft by a 25-ft. umbilical line and a 23-ft. tether line, both wrapped in gold tape to form one cord.

In his right hand, White carries a Hand-Held Self Maneuvering Unit (HHSMU), which he used to help move him around the weightless environment of space.

The visor of his helmet is gold plated to protect him from the unfiltered rays of the sun.

The extravehicular activity (EVA) started over the Pacific Ocean near Hawaii and lasted 23 minutes, ending over the Gulf of Mexico.

Initially, White propelled himself to the end of the 8-meter tether and back to the spacecraft three times using the hand-held gun.

After the first three minutes the fuel ran out and White maneuvered by twisting his body and pulling on the tether.

The photograph was taken by Commander James McDivitt early in the EVA over a cloud-covered Pacific Ocean.