Edward H. White, II

On March 21, 1966, Ed White was named as one of the pilots of the AS-204 mission, the first 3-man Apollo flight.

Quick Facts

White was named as a member of the second astronaut class selected by NASA in September 1962.

White was the pilot for Gemini 4, which was a 66-revolution, 4-day mission that began on June 3, and ended on June 7, 1965.

White was the first American to perform a spacewalk. He was outside his Gemini 4 capsule for 21 minutes.

White was posthumously awarded the Congressional Space Medal of Honor.

Official NASA portrait of astronaut Ed White. — S66-35219 (1966) — Astronaut Edward H. White II (United States Air Force Lieutenant Colonel), Gemini 4 pilot. Editor’s Note: Since this portrait was taken astronaut White lost his life on Jan. 27, 1967, in the Apollo 1/Saturn 204 fire at Cape Kennedy, KSC, Florida.

Apollo 1 crew outside at the Kennedy Space Center — S67-19770 (January 1967) — The prime crew of the National Aeronautics and Space Administration’s (NASA) first manned Apollo Space Flight, named on March 21, 1966, are pictured during training in Florida. Left to right are astronauts Virgil I. Grissom, Edward H. White II, and Roger B. Chaffee.
NASA

Apollo 1 crew practice water evacuation drills. — S66-51581 (June 1966) — Prime crew for the first manned Apollo mission practice water egress procedures with full scale boilerplate model of their spacecraft. In the water at right is astronaut Edward H. White (foreground) and astronaut Roger B. Chaffee. In raft near the spacecraft is astronaut Virgil I. Grissom. NASA swimmers are in the water to assist in the practice session that took place at Ellington AFB, near the Manned Spacecraft Center, Houston.
NASA

Manned Spacecraft Center Director Robert R. Gilruth (far right) introduces the Apollo 1 crew during press conference in Houston. Sitting next to Gilruth are (from left) astronauts Roger Chaffee, Edward H. White II, and Gus Grissom. (1966)

Biography

Edward H. White, II

Learn more about Astronaut Ed White, including when he was selected by NASA to be an astronaut, his flight experience, education, background and more.

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Astronaut Ed White outside of his Gemini 4 space capsule.

S65-30432 (3 June 1965) — Astronaut Edward H. White II, pilot of the Gemini IV four-day Earth-orbital mission, floats in the zero gravity of space outside the Gemini IV spacecraft. White wears a specially designed spacesuit; and the visor of the helmet is gold plated to protect him against the unfiltered rays of the sun. He wears an emergency oxygen pack, also. He is secured to the spacecraft by a 25-feet umbilical line and a 23-feet tether line, both wrapped in gold tape to form one cord. In his right hand is a Hand-Held Self-Maneuvering Unit (HHSMU) with which he controls his movements in space. Astronaut James A. McDivitt, command pilot of the mission, remained inside the spacecraft. EDITOR’S NOTE: Astronaut White died in the Apollo/Saturn 204 fire at Cape Kennedy on Jan. 27, 1967.