One year after Edward H. White made NASA's first spacewalk look almost pleasant, the agency decided it was time for round two - and this time, the spacewalk would fight back. Originally slated for Gemini VIII, the extravehicular activity (EVA) was reassigned to Gemini IX-A after that mission ended early, leaving astronaut Gene Cernan to take on the task.
On June 5, 1966 - the mission's third day - Cernan exited the spacecraft and quickly discovered that his spacesuit had no intention of cooperating. The suit was so rigid that even simple movements required Herculean effort. Within minutes, Cernan was exhausted and sweating so profusely that his helmet fogged over completely, obstructing his view while his heart rate soared to about 180 beats per minute. As concerns grew that he might lose consciousness, the EVA was called off after two hours and eight minutes - a merciful end to a punishing ordeal.
When Gemini IX-A returned to Earth, doctors found that Cernan had lost 13 pounds during the three-day mission, most of it water lost during his spacewalk. The challenges he faced that day reshaped NASA's approach to spacewalking, directly influencing improved training methods, refined EVA procedures, and precipitating advances in spacesuit design - key steps that eventually allowed astronauts to moonwalk without first having to fight their own pants.