Edward Higgins White, II

Edward Higgins White, II (1930-1967), American astronaut and the first American to walk in space. White died in the Apollo 1 disaster at Cape Kennedy (now Cape Canaveral), Florida (see Apollo program).

White was born in San Antonio, Texas. He graduated from the United States Military Academy in 1952. He served as a fighter pilot and test pilot for the Air Force until 1962, when he was accepted into the space program.

White's first space mission, in June 1965, was to pilot the Gemini 4 capsule (see Gemini program). During the first day of the four-day flight, White stepped out of the hatch and floated freely in space, attached to the capsule with only a cord through which oxygen and communication signals flowed. He maneuvered himself with a gun that shot small bursts of compressed oxygen. White spacewalked for 22 minutes as the capsule flew over the Pacific Ocean and North America. The mission made him a national hero.

White later became a backup commander for the Gemini 7 mission and then was chosen as senior pilot of the three-man Apollo 1 flight, the first manned orbital test of the moon-bound spacecraft. Officially known as the Apollo 204 mission, it was scheduled for launch in February 1967.

During a training simulation on January 27, 1967, a spark started a flash fire in the capsule. Before the hatch could be opened, White, along with Virgil 'Gus' Grissom and Roger Chaffee, died in the burning wreck. The fire set the Apollo moon program back almost two years, while the entire spacecraft was redesigned. A less flammable atmosphere under lower pressure, flame-resistant materials, and a quicker escape system were built into all future Apollo capsules.