It Happened at Michigan: U-M Alum Was First American to Walk in Space

In June 1965, two Americans embarked on a four-day mission that made history. Orbiting 100 miles above Earth at 17,000 miles per hour and connected by only a 23-foot tether, Edward H. White II (’59) became the first American to walk in space. In this edition of It Happened at Michigan, discover the full story behind White’s groundbreaking spacewalk—and how it helped shift the U.S.’ position in the space race.