Learning to work outside a spacecraft

On this day in 1966, astronauts Jim Lovell and Buzz Aldrin launched on Gemini 12, the last flight of the Gemini program. Over the next few days, Aldrin spent more than five hours working outside the spacecraft, using handholds and foot loops and stopping often to rest.

Why it mattered

Earlier spacewalks had left astronauts worn out. Aldrin had practiced underwater, and he showed that with the right tools and a steady pace, people could do real work in space.