The astronaut also participated in the Gemini IV mission, where he was the first American to perform a spacewalk.
Former NASA astronaut James McDivitt, who participated in the Gemini IV and Apollo 9 missions, died last Thursday at the age of 93 at his home in Tucson, Arizona, the US space agency said in a statement on Monday.
McDivitt was born in Chicago, Illinois, on June 10, 1929. After serving as a pilot in the US Air Force during the Korean War, he was selected as an astronaut in 1962.
In June 1965, he was part of the crew of the Gemini IV along with Edward White. During that mission, McDivitt became the first American astronaut to perform a spacewalk.
In March 1969, he served as commander of the Apollo 9 lunar mission, which lasted about ten days. James McDivitt retired from NASA in June 1972.
With heavy hearts, we mourn the recent passing of Korean War veteran, former test pilot, aeronautical engineer, and @POT Astronaut Jim McDivitt. McDivitt was selected to be part of Astronaut Group 2 and went on to command Gemini IV in 1965 and Apollo 9 in 1969. Rest in peace 🫡 pic.twitter.com/PRvTShrnwy
— NASA History Office (@NASAhistory) October 17, 2022
Source: RT
