NASA’s Bold ‘Plan X’ Changed Spaceflight History On May 21, 1965, NASA released the Gemini 4 press kit. It opened with the standard mission description, in this case for a four-day orbital flight that would send commander Jim McDivitt and pilot Ed White around the Earth 62 times to evaluate “the effects of extended spaceflight on crew performance and physical condition.” Then there was an intriguing page that hinted at something bigger: “No decision has been made whether in the Gemini 4 mission the crew will engage in extravehicular activity… A decision to undertake the extravehicular test can be made as late as the day before the launch.” The possibility of an EVA on Gemini 4 came as a surprise not only the American people that day, but to many within NASA as well. keep reading Image: On June 3, 1965, Ed White became the first NASA astronaut to carry out an EVA. Credit: NASA

NASA’s Bold ‘Plan X’ Changed Spaceflight History

On May 21, 1965, NASA released the Gemini 4 press kit. It opened with the standard mission description, in this case for a four-day orbital flight that would send commander Jim McDivitt and pilot Ed White around the Earth 62 times to evaluate “the effects of extended spaceflight on crew performance and physical condition.”

Then there was an intriguing page that hinted at something bigger: “No decision has been made whether in the Gemini 4 mission the crew will engage in extravehicular activity… A decision to undertake the extravehicular test can be made as late as the day before the launch.” The possibility of an EVA on Gemini 4 came as a surprise not only the American people that day, but to many within NASA as well.

keep reading

Image: On June 3, 1965, Ed White became the first NASA astronaut to carry out an EVA. Credit: NASA

Source: news.discovery.com

96 notesShowHide

  1. getandkeep reblogged this from discoverynews
  2. sopradora-de-bolhas reblogged this from discoverynews
  3. nightrash reblogged this from discoverynews
  4. odinsblog reblogged this from truth-has-a-liberal-bias
  5. pornolosophy reblogged this from discoverynews
  6. justindlawrence reblogged this from discoverynews
  7. timmomosh reblogged this from discoverynews
  8. elhombre reblogged this from truth-has-a-liberal-bias
  9. truth-has-a-liberal-bias reblogged this from discoverynews
  10. el-cientifico reblogged this from discoverynews
  11. nachtapfel reblogged this from discoverynews
  12. iswasandwillbe reblogged this from discoverynews
  13. motionpixel reblogged this from discoverynews
  14. callmelogic reblogged this from discoverynews
  15. italiancoco reblogged this from discoverynews
  16. houseofbeaunes reblogged this from discoverynews
  17. theirkinempire reblogged this from discoverynews
  18. imnotsquid reblogged this from manth0ny
  19. chrisferentinos reblogged this from discoverynews
  20. thekawaii7space reblogged this from discoverynews
  21. conorbarry reblogged this from discoverynews
  22. fukkiy reblogged this from discoverynews
  23. relativalyreal reblogged this from discoverynews
  24. elementary-to-life reblogged this from discoverynews
  25. spellingmatters reblogged this from discoverynews
  26. rebel-rousers reblogged this from shamefullyinspired