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EDWARD H. WHITE II
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Born November 14, 1930, in San
Antonio, Texas. Ed received a bachelor’s degree from the United
States Military Academy, and a master’s degree in aeronautical
engineering from the University of Michigan. He also received an
honorary doctorate in astronautics from the University of
Michigan. White and his wife, Patricia Finegan White, have two
children, Edward and Bonnie Lynn. |
Lieutenant Colonel White
was a test pilot in the Air Force and in 1962 was selected by NASA to
become an astronaut. He was selected as the pilot for Gemini 4, a 4-day
mission that circled the earth 62 times. At that time Gemini 4 was the
longest man mission in space and Lieutenant Colonel White was the first
U.S. Astronaut to walk in space. He was also the first man to use jet
propulsion to maneuver himself in space. He was subsequently selected to
be the Command Module Pilot for Apollo 1.
While practicing emergency egress procedures in preparation for the
Apollo 1 mission, a flash fire consumed the spacecraft. Edward H. White
made the ultimate sacrifice and lost his life in service to the nation
and the space program on January 27, 1967, at 36 years of age.
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