Today marks the 60th anniversary of the first American spacewalk! On June 3, 1965, astronaut Edward H. White II became the first American to perform a spacewalk. White was attached to the capsule by a 25 foot (7.62 meter) umbilical cord. He initially used a gas powered gun held in his hand to maneuver. After the first three minutes the fuel ran out and White moved around by twisting his body and pulling on the cord. He returned to the Gemini IV spacecraft after 23 minutes. He later said the spacewalk was the most comfortable part of the mission, and said the order to end it was the “saddest moment” of his life. Image description: White is wearing a spacesuit and is attached to the spacecraft by an umbilical line and a tether line, both wrapped in gold tape to form one cord, visible in the lower left-hand corner. On his chest is an emergency oxygen pack. The visor of his helmet was gold plated to protect him from the unfiltered rays of the sun. The viewer can glimpse the blue Earth i...