Houston, Texas - On June 3, 1965, NASA astronaut Ed White became the first American to walk in space. NASA is celebrating the 50th anniversary of the United States’ first extravehicular activity (EVA) -- better known as a spacewalk -- through a number of commemorative features on NASA Television and NASA.gov.
On Monday, June 1, NASA will premiere a documentary narrated by actor Jon Cryer on the history and future of humans working on a tether in space. The film, Suit Up, marks five decades of spacewalks and will air on NASA Television starting at 10 a.m. EDT, and be available on the agency’s website.
The documentary features interviews with NASA Administrator and astronaut, Charles Bolden, NASA Deputy Administrator and spacesuit designer, Dava Newman, as well as other astronauts, engineers, technicians, managers and luminaries of spacewalk history. They share their personal stories that cover the full EVA experience-- from spacesuit manufacturing to spacewalk maneuvering -- all brought to life through historical and HD footage.
Visitors to NASA.gov’s Suit Up site can view special features and videos spanning NASA’s 50 years of spacewalks and spacesuits.
From 7:15 to 9:15 a.m. EDT on Tuesday, June 2, NASA astronaut and veteran spacewalker Mike Foreman is available to discuss with media the dramatic history and exciting future of spacewalking. The public can watch Foreman live from the Neutral Buoyancy Laboratory at NASA's Johnson Space Center in Houston where astronauts do EVA training. Foreman will talk about the first U.S. spacewalk and answer media questions about the past 50 years of spacewalks through the Gemini, Apollo, Skylab, Space Shuttle and International Space Station programs.
For NASA TV streaming video, schedules and downlink information, visit:
