Sidewalks Chalk

50th Anniversary of USA First Spacewalk, NASA.

Ed White, The first U.S. astronaut to exit a spacecraft while in orbit.

Via Collect Space

Ed White was the first U.S. astronaut to exit a spacecraft while in orbit, White spent more than 20 minutes floating in the vacuum of space, protected only by a spacesuit. He moved about using a “zip gun,” a hand-held maneuvering unit, while still attached to Gemini 4 by a tether and umbilical.

NASA’s first crew-created mission patch came on the next mission, Gemini 5. The Gemini 4 crew set a different first. Gemini 4 marked the first time that the U.S. flag had been worn on a spacesuit, a tradition continued ever since. Later flags were embroidered; the Gemini 4 flags were made of nylon.

Suit Up! 50 years of Spacewalks | NASA Documentary, below.