In 1965, astronaut Ed White exited his Gemini 4 capsule and became the first American to walk in space. Tethered to the spacecraft and relying only on his suit and a handheld maneuvering gun, the mission proved that astronauts could operate in the vacuum of space, shaping every spacewalk that followed. | SpaceEve

In 1965, during NASA’s Gemini 4 mission, astronaut Ed White used a handheld maneuvering gun to control his movement while tethered outside the spacecraft. The simple device used compressed gas to push him gently through microgravity, proving that astronauts could actively navigate and work in open space, a critical step toward future space stations and deep-space missions. Follow @spaceeves #spacehistory #nasa #gemini4 #spacewalk | SpaceEve