Ed White (astronaut)
Edward Higgins White II was born on the 14th of November 1930, in San Antonio, Texas. His father Edward Higgins White Sr. served as a major general in the United States Air Force. The family moved frequently to different military bases across the country during his childhood. They relocated from San Antonio to Dayton, Ohio, and then to Washington, D.C. White attended Oakwood Junior High School in Dayton and Western High School in Washington. He wanted to follow his father's footsteps into West Point after graduating in 1948. An appointment from a United States Congressman was required for admission. His family had not lived continuously in one place long enough to qualify automatically. White went to the Capitol and knocked on Congressmen's doors seeking an appointment. He carried a glowing reference from his high school principal. He eventually secured one from Congressman Ross Rizley from Oklahoma. White entered West Point on the 15th of July 1948. He acquired the nickname Red from the color of his hair.
White was one of eleven pilots whose names the Air Force submitted to NASA in 1962 as potential candidates for the second group of astronauts. He arrived at the Aerospace Medical Center at Brooks AFB on the 30th of July 1962. He ran around the perimeter of Brooks every day during testing to keep in shape. White was one of nine men chosen by NASA as part of Astronaut Group 2 in September 1962. Their selection was announced at a press conference in Cullen Auditorium at the University of Houston on the 17th of September 1962. Each new astronaut received an area of specialization within the crewed space program. White's case involved flight control systems. He was assigned as pilot of Gemini 4 alongside command pilot James McDivitt. The Chief of the Astronaut Office, Mercury Seven astronaut Deke Slayton, paired them because they knew each other well. They had attended the University of Michigan and test pilot school together. White believed that getting an advanced degree would improve his chances of being selected. He enrolled in the University of Michigan under Air Force sponsorship to study aeronautical engineering in September 1958.
On the 3rd of June 1965, the Gemini 4 crew launched into space to begin its four-day mission. At 19:46 UTC, White became the first American to make an EVA. During his spacewalk, White used an oxygen-propelled gun called the Hand-Held Maneuvering Unit to propel himself. White found the experience so exhilarating that he was reluctant to terminate the EVA at the allotted time. He had to be ordered back into the spacecraft. A spare thermal glove floated away through the open hatch of the spacecraft. It became an early piece of space debris in low Earth orbit until it burned up upon re-entry into the Earth's atmosphere. There was a mechanical problem with the hatch mechanism which made it difficult to open and relatch. McDivitt was able to get the door locked by using his glove to push on the gears that controlled the mechanism. This added to the time constraint of the spacewalk. When they returned to Earth, President Lyndon B. Johnson came to Houston to congratulate them. They received a ticker tape parade in Chicago and went to the 1965 Paris Air Show where they met cosmonaut Yuri Gagarin.
The launch of Apollo 1 was planned for the 21st of February 1967. The crew entered the spacecraft at 13:00 on January 27, mounted atop its Saturn IB booster on Launch Pad 34 at Cape Kennedy. The test was to demonstrate all of the space vehicle systems and procedures. At 18:31, a fire broke out in the pure oxygen-filled cabin. All three crewmen died instantly. White had apparently tried to do his part as emergency roles called for him to actuate the inner hatch release handle. His body was found in his center seat with his arms reaching over his head toward the hatch. Removing the cover to open the hatch was impossible because the plug door design required venting normally slightly greater-than-atmospheric pressure. Grissom was unable to reach the cabin vent control to his left where the fire's source was located. The intense heat raised the cabin pressure even more until the cabin walls ruptured. The astronauts were killed by asphyxiation, smoke inhalation, and thermal burns. Their deaths were attributed to a wide range of lethal hazards in the early Apollo Command Module design including workmanship flaws and flammable materials used in the cockpit.
White received the NASA Distinguished Service Medal for his flight in Gemini 4. He was awarded the Congressional Space Medal of Honor posthumously. President Clinton presented the White and Chaffee families with the medal in 1997. White along with nine other Gemini astronauts was inducted into the International Space Hall of Fame in 1982. He was inducted into the U.S. Astronaut Hall of Fame in 1993. The National Aviation Hall of Fame inducted him on the 18th of July 2009. White and McDivitt were presented honorary doctorate degrees in astronautical science by the University of Michigan after their Gemini 4 flight. They were also awarded the Arnold Air Society's John F. Kennedy Trophy. White received the 1965 General Thomas D. White National Defense Award for his spacewalk. It is a trophy given by the National Geographic Society to outstanding air force personnel. He was inducted into the Aerospace Primus Club for his EVA. The Apollo 1 crew was awarded the NASA Distinguished Service Medal posthumously in a 1969 presentation of the Presidential Medal of Freedom to the Apollo 11 crew.
Many schools have been named in honor of White including Edward White Elementary Career Academy in Chicago. Edward H. White Middle School exists in White's hometown of San Antonio, Texas. Ed White Memorial High School stands in League City, Texas. Edward H. White High School is located in Jacksonville, Florida. Eight months after his death, in September 1967, a postage stamp was issued by the United States Post Office commemorating White's spacewalk. It was the first time in USPO history that the design was actually spread over two stamps. One featured White and the other his Gemini capsule connected by a tether. The Omega Speedmaster wristwatch reference 105.003 has come to be known as the Ed White as this reference was worn by White during his spacewalk. A photograph of White performing his Gemini 4 space walk is included on the Voyager Golden Record. White Hill sits 11.2 km northwest of Columbia Memorial Station on Mars as part of the Apollo 1 Hills. White was played by Steven Ruge in the 1995 film Apollo 13 and by Jason Clarke in First Man released in 2018.
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Common questions
When was Edward Higgins White II born and where?
Edward Higgins White II was born on the 14th of November 1930, in San Antonio, Texas. His father served as a major general in the United States Air Force.
How did Ed White become an astronaut for NASA Group 2?
Ed White was selected as one of nine men chosen by NASA as part of Astronaut Group 2 in September 1962 after being submitted to the agency in 1962. He entered West Point on the 15th of July 1948 and later enrolled at the University of Michigan under Air Force sponsorship to study aeronautical engineering.
What happened during Ed White's spacewalk on June 3rd 1965?
On the 3rd of June 1965, Ed White became the first American to make an EVA while aboard Gemini 4. He used an oxygen-propelled gun called the Hand-Held Maneuvering Unit to propel himself but had to be ordered back into the spacecraft due to time constraints.
Why did Ed White die during the Apollo 1 fire on January 27th 1967?
A fire broke out in the pure oxygen-filled cabin of Apollo 1 at 18:31 on the 27th of January 1967, killing all three crewmen instantly. The plug door design required venting pressure that could not be achieved because Grissom was unable to reach the cabin vent control to his left where the fire originated.
When was Ed White posthumously awarded the Congressional Space Medal of Honor?
President Clinton presented the Congressional Space Medal of Honor to the White family in 1997. This award recognized his service and sacrifice following the Apollo 1 tragedy.