[Gemini IV] Cover of LIFE: The first US spacewalk; Ed White spacewalking...

[Gemini IV] Cover of LIFE: The first US spacewalk; Ed White spacewalking over the Earth over Texas. James McDivitt, 3–7 June 1965. Printed 1965. Vintage chromogenic print on fiber-based Kodak paper [NASA image S-65–30428]. 20.3×25.4 cm (8×10 in), numbered “NASA S-65–30428” in red top margin, with “A Kodak Paper” watermarks on the verso (NASA Manned Spacecraft Center, Houston, Texas).

Literature: LIFE, 18 June 1965, cover; NATIONAL GEOGRAPHIC, September 1965, pp. 444–445.

A fantastic image possessing a drama and power rivaled by few images in the history of the medium. This unprecedented image graced the cover of LIFE magazine on 18 June 1965. Edward White was spacewalking over Texas when James McDivitt captured the photograph from the orbiting Gemini capsule with a Hasselblad model 500 C (NASA modified) and 70mm Eastman Kodak Ektachrome MS film [original NASA caption for the photograph].

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.

Within days of splashdown, McDivitt’s pictures appeared in newspapers and magazines around the world, marking a turning point in the role photography played in the space program and in the popular conception of manned space exploration. (Schick and Van Haaften, p. 13).

“I wasn’t the only one who felt the power of those images from space. Countless people saw them and understood their basic message: this was the edge of human experience.” Space historian Andrew Chaikin (Chaikin, Space, p. 12).

Condition Report:Excellent condition.

Please notice: Supplementary material not included.

Category:Photos ▸ Vintage photographs