McDivitt and White Splash Down

June 7, 1965 - Astronauts James McDivitt and Edward White carried the nation a giant step forward in the space race with Russia today when they splashed Gemini 4 to a successful landing in the Atlantic at 1:12 New York time, 97 hours, 56 minutes, and 30 seconds after launch.

Dr. George Mueller, associate administrator of NASA, said at the Manned Spacecraft Center in Houston that “we are all tremendously pleased with the GT-4 flight. GT-4 was one of the most successful missions yet carried out in our space program. We had the record EVA.” EVA stands for extra vehicular activity — the space walk.

Mueller said of the planned moon landing: “We have made very good progress on our program since 1961. We believe we will carry out a lunar mission before the end of 1969, as our plans call for. We’re moving as fast as we can. I don’t know whether we will be there first of not.”Russia retained two records, a duration of 119 hours 6 minutes chalked up in 1963, and the flight of a three-man spacecraft in 1964. The U.S. would not be ready to challenge the three-man mark until the Apollo mooncraft is ready in early 1967. 

Smiling and in great physical shape, McDivitt and White stepped aboard the aircraft carrier Wasp to a heroes’ welcome this afternoon. They had landed 400 miles east of Cape Kennedy.

“Hooray, hooray, we’re going to the Wasp,” said pilot McDivitt when his hatch was opened.

“Boy, that was really something,” said White. 

Flown to the Wasp, they were not allowed to shower until after physical examinations, and smiling officials admitted that after four unwashed, unshaved days in space, they were hardly models for a deodorant ad.

Their capsule, loaded with film and data vital to America’s moon program, was winched aboard the Wasp at 3:26 p.m.

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