Astronaut Available to Discuss First, Next 50 Years of Spacewalking

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May 27, 2015, 02:10 ET

WASHINGTON, May 27, 2015 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- On June 3, 1965, NASA astronaut Ed White exited the Gemini 4 space capsule using a hand-held oxygen jet gun to push himself from the hatch for a 23-minute tethered spacewalk that set the stage for future moonwalks, satellite retrievals and repairs, and space station assembly and maintenance.

Fifty years later, NASA astronaut and veteran spacewalker Mike Foreman is available to discuss with media the dramatic history and exciting future of spacewalking live via satellite from the Neutral Buoyancy Laboratory at NASA's Johnson Space Center in Houston.

From 7:15-9:15 a.m. EDT on Tuesday, June 2, Foreman will discuss the first U.S. spacewalk and answer questions about the past 50 years of extravehicular activity (EVA) through the Gemini, Apollo, Skylab, Space Shuttle and International Space Station Programs.

Spacewalks and spacesuits are a critical component of all human space exploration endeavors. To date, NASA has completed 264 spacewalks, including 184 dedicated to space station assembly and 23 focused on the repair of the Hubble Space Telescope. Human exploration of Mars will require innovative design solutions for EVA systems to protect crew from the Red Planet's environment. For the first time since 1982, NASA is in the process of evaluating and testing new suit prototype designs to support our journey to Mars. Foreman will provide media a look at what's ahead for human spaceflight and spacewalking.

To participate, reporters must contact Seth Marcantel at 281-792-7515 or [email protected] no later than 2 p.m. on Monday, June 1. Media participating in the live shots must tune to NTV-3. Satellite tuning information is available at:

http://go.nasa.gov/1pOWUhR

Foreman, a native of Wadsworth, Ohio, was selected as a NASA astronaut in June 1998. His first mission, STS-123, was aboard space shuttle Endeavour in March 2008. On this, the 25th, station assembly mission, Endeavour's crew delivered the Japanese Experiment Logistics, the first pressurized component of the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency's (JAXA) Kibo Laboratory and the final element of the station's Mobile Servicing System, the Canadian-built Dextre, also known as the Special Purpose Dextrous Manipulator. Foreman worked 19 hours and 34 minutes, outside the shuttle-station complex during three spacewalks.

Foreman also flew aboard the space shuttle Atlantis on theSTS-129 mission in November 2009, the 31st shuttle flight to the station. The crew delivered two Express Logistics Carriers to the space station, about 30,000 pounds of replacement parts for future station operations and maintenance. For this effort, Foreman performed two spacewalks totaling 12 hours and 45 minutes and bringing his total spacewalking experience to 32 hours and 19 minutes.

For more information about the 50th Anniversary of Spacewalking and to join the conversation, please visit:

http://www.nasa.gov/suitup
http://www.facebook.com/NASAJSC
http://www.twitter.com/NASA_Johnson
http://www.instagram.com/nasajohnson
http://www.youtube.com/reelnasa

For more information about NASA TV coverage, visit:

http://www.nasa.gov/nasatv

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SOURCE NASA