James McDivitt was an American astronaut and test pilot, born on June 10, 1929. He is best known for commanding the Gemini 4 mission in 1965, during which he and astronaut Edward White conducted the first American spacewalk. McDivitt played a significant role in the early years of the U.S. space program. In addition to his work on the Gemini program, McDivitt also commanded the Apollo 9 mission in 1969, which tested the lunar module in Earth orbit. After retiring from NASA, he worked in various roles in the aerospace industry and continued to contribute to space exploration efforts.