On June 3, 1965, NASA astronaut Ed White made history by becoming the first American to perform a spacewalk in orbit.
“This is the most incredible experience; it’s just amazing,” White exclaimed while floating outside the Gemini 4 spacecraft that day.
To celebrate the 60th anniversary of the inaugural U.S. spacewalk, we’ve gathered ten remarkable photographs from White’s pioneering walk and others that followed over the years.
1. Ed White during his iconic spacewalk on June 3, 1965. For his safety, the record-setting astronaut was secured to the spacecraft with a 25-foot umbilical line and tether throughout his 20-minute journey.
2. Astronaut Scott Parazynski waves to the camera while secured at the end of the Space Shuttle’s Orbiter Boom Sensor System during a spacewalk in 2007.
3. NASA’s John B. Herrington, positioned on the far left, during a spacewalk outside the Space Shuttle Endeavour in 2002.
4. NASA astronaut Suni Williams is secured to the space station’s Canadarm2 robotic arm, with the facility’s solar panels visible behind her during a 2025 spacewalk.
5. With a dramatic cloud-filled backdrop, astronaut Robert L. Curbeam, Jr. is captured during a spacewalk at the station in 2006.
6. Bruce McCandless II is shown at an impressive distance from the Space Shuttle Challenger during an unrestrained spacewalk in 1984, becoming the first astronaut to operate in space without a tether. McCandless was testing a nitrogen-propelled device known as the Manned Maneuvering Unit.
7. Reid Wiseman participating in a 2014 spacewalk at the station, located approximately 250 miles above Earth. During this 6-hour, 13-minute task, he and ESA astronaut Alexander Gerst worked outside the Quest airlock, relocating a faulty cooling pump and installing backup power equipment for external robotics.
8. NASA’s Christina Koch captures a “space selfie” with Earth in the backdrop. She, along with fellow astronaut Jessica Meir, conducted the first-ever all-woman spacewalk in 2019, working outside the ISS for over seven hours.
9. In 1984, astronaut Dale A. Gardner interacts closely with the spinning WESTAR VI satellite. Using specialized equipment, Gardner managed to stabilize the satellite so it could be captured and returned to Earth aboard the Space Shuttle Discovery.
10. Astronauts Carl Meade and Mark Lee are featured during a spacewalk in 1994. Lee can be seen securely attached to the robotic arm of the Space Shuttle.
