Fifty years ago today, Ed White took one of the first and most significant steps on a journey that will culminate on the surface of Mars. You see, he became the first American astronaut in history to conduct a spacewalk.
Having worked on the research and development of these smallest of spacecraft – the spacesuit — I can personally attest to the significance of this milestone. In many ways, Ed’s “Extravehicular Activity” or “EVA” as it’s known in space-lingo, was the modern day equivalent of Lewis & Clark’s portage across the Gates of the Mountains during exploration of the West. He had ventured into uncharted territory.
As a new consensus continues to emerge around NASA’s plan and timetable for American astronauts exploring cis-lunar space in the 2020s (where they will no doubt participate in spacewalks) and the Red Planet In the 2030s, Ed White’s 23 minute spacewalk is a big part of the reason why Mars is now within our sights after 50 years of spacewalking exploration.
Over the years, NASA has perfected the art and science of the spacewalk, and many astronauts have followed in Ed’s footsteps, from Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin on Apollo 11 to Kathy Sullivan on STS-41G to Jerry Ross and Jim Newman, who began assembly of the International Space Station, to record holders Michael Lopez-Alegria (who undertook 10 spacewalks) and Suni Williams (who holds the records for most spacewalks and most spacewalk time by a female astronaut). The incredible achievements during the Hubble Space Telescope servicing repair missions highlight EVA’s criticality to mission success.
In the days, years, and decades ahead, we will continue to push EVA technological advancements as we move forward on our Journey to Mars.