1930-1967

American engineer and astronaut who was the first U.S. astronaut to walk in space—during the Gemini 4 mission (1965). Following graduation from West Point (1952), White flew in the U.S. Air Force, service that included time as an experimental test pilot with the Aeronautical System Division. He was selected by NASA in 1962. In 1967 White and fellow Apollo 1 astronauts died tragically in a launch pad fire during a countdown simulation test.