11. Gemini IV included the first repair on a spacecraft in flight by its occupants
Gemini IV featured America’s first attempt to rendezvous with another body in space, which failed, and America’s first extravehicular activity (EVA) when astronaut Ed White remained outside of the orbiting spacecraft, on a tether, for about twenty minutes. The spacewalk, as it became known, was considered with awe by the public when pictures of White floating in space were released. The spacewalk was the most notable success of the mission, and it nearly led to its most devastating failure, one which if not corrected would have led to the deaths of both astronauts, either in orbit or upon re-entry. The problem was not reported in the press at the time, overwhelmed by the story of the spacewalk.
When White exited the spacecraft to begin his EVA, he encountered a problem with the latch on the hatch, which failed to release. White had seen a similar problem during training and had observed the technician while he completed the repair. The astronaut followed the procedure and opened the hatch. Upon re-entry, the latch again failed, and the astronauts were unable to secure the hatch and re-pressurize the cabin. For the second time, White tinkered with the latch system until he managed to get it to secure the hatch. During preparations for re-entry, the crew was to have opened the hatch and disposed of White’s EVA equipment; both astronauts agreed to wait and dispose of the equipment on the ground.