James A. McDivitt, First American Astronaut to Spacewalk, Has Died
Former NASA astronaut James A. McDivitt, who commanded the Gemini IV and Apollo 9 missions, passed away in his sleep on Oct. 13 in Tucson, Arizona, according to an Oct. 17 press release from NASA. He was 93 years old.
“During Gemini IV, White would become the first American to venture outside his spacecraft for what officially is known as an extravehicular activity (EVA) or as the world has come to know it, a spacewalk,” NASA said in a news release. Spacewalks allowed astronauts to walk on the Moon, and skilled American astronauts and partners to build the International Space Station. Spending four days in space, Gemini IV set a record at the time for being the longest American spaceflight….