P12mile4

The first American astronaut to walk in space was Edward

White. The mission that took Edward White and James Mcdivitt
into space was Gemini 4. The Gemini 4 mission lasted four days,
62 orbits and 98 hours. It launched on June 3, 1965. The
astronauts had to wear pressure suits because there is no air
pressure in space. They also needed an oxygen supply.

White was ready to take his space walk 4 hours and 18 minutes

after launch. The latch on the hatch door jammed and it was
difficult to open. After White opened the latch and went into
space, he put a 16mm camera on the spacecraft to record his
historical mission.

White was connected to the Titan II rocket by a twenty five

foot umbilical cord which gave him air. The umbilical cord also
had radio wires so he could communicate. He moved around by
using a Personal Propulsion Unit (PPU). It worked by pushing out
compressed oxygen. White did medical and engineering
experiments during his spacewalk. The spacewalk only lasted for
22 minutes.

The astronauts returned safely to Earth on June 7, 1965.