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Ed White

Portrait photograph of Ed White

Photo: NASA / Public domain (US government work)

Ed White (1930–1967) was a US Air Force officer, test pilot and NASA astronaut. On June 3, 1965, during Gemini 4, he became the first American to walk in space, spending about 20 minutes outside his capsule. He was senior pilot on the first crewed Apollo mission, Apollo 1. He died on January 27, 1967, with Gus Grissom and Roger Chaffee, in a cabin fire during a launch rehearsal on the pad at Cape Kennedy. Apollo 1 never flew.

Born
14 November 1930
Died
27 January 1967
Country
United States
Flights
1: Gemini 4 (1965)
Time in space
4 days 1 hours

Data as of 2 November 2026. Source: Wikidata (CC0). All people who have flown in space.

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  1. Apollo 1: How a Pure Oxygen Cabin Fire Killed Three Astronauts

    BBC Earth Science
Play video: Apollo 1: How a Pure Oxygen Cabin Fire Killed Three Astronauts

Apollo 1: How a Pure Oxygen Cabin Fire Killed Three Astronauts

BBC Earth Science

Duration 4:09

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Dates are when each video was first published on YouTube.

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  1. Apollo 1: How a Pure Oxygen Cabin Fire Killed Three Astronauts

    DocumentaryBBC Earth Science · 4:09

    Mission: Apollo 1 (1967)

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