When Gemini IV astronaut Ed White emerged from his spacecraft into the blackness of space on June 3, 1965, he became the first American to walk in space. For more than 20 minutes, White maneuvered himself around the Gemini spacecraft while it traveled from over Hawaii to the Gulf of Mexico -- making his orbital stroll 6500 miles long. White was attached to the spacecraft by a 23 foot long tether line wrapped in gold tape. The visor of his helmet was gold plated to protect him from the unfiltered rays of the Sun. In his right hand, White carried a Hand Held Self Maneuvering Unit, which he used to move about the weightless environment of space. Unfortunately, the gas powered unit ran out of fuel after only 3 minutes. For the remainder of the space walk White maneuvered by twisting his body and tugging on the umbilical cord. Tragically, Lieutenant Colonel White and his crewmates Gus Grissom and Roger Chaffee died on January 27, 1967, in the Apollo 1 flash fire during a launch pad test at Kennedy Space Center.