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From the archives of former congressman James G. Fulton from Western Pennsylvania, an ardent advocate for US manned space exploration. Edward (Ed) White II typed letter signed on NASA letterhead and dated October 9, 1962. Due to White's untimely death in the Apollo 1 fire, his signature is highly rare and sought after. This letter is particularly interesting, as it is White's response of gratitude to Fulton for his support of NASA and letter of congratulations upon White's selection to the NASA program just one month earlier. White would go on to perform the first EVA or spacewalk in 1965 as part of the Gemini 4 mission.NOTE: Mission patch was added by me during framing.
Although this piece is not third-party authenticated, I fully guarantee it to pass authentication by any of the leading authentication services. About Edward White IIWhite was named as a member of the astronaut team selected by NASA in September 1962. He was pilot for Gemini 4, which was a 66-revolution, 4-day mission that began on June 3, and ended on June 7, 1965. During the third revolution, he carried out the first extra vehicular activity in the United States manned space flight program. He was outside Gemini 4 for 21 minutes, and became the first man to control himself in space during EVA with a maneuvering unit.
On March 21, 1966, he was named as one of the pilots of the AS-204 mission (Apollo 1), the first 3-man Apollo flight. Lieutenant Colonel White died on January 27, 1967, in the Apollo spacecraft flash fire during a launch pad test at Kennedy Space Center, Florida.About James G. FultonIn 1944, while still in the service, Fulton was elected as a Republican to the 79th United States Congress, and reelected to the 13 succeeding Congresses, serving from January 3, 1945, until his death from a heart attack in Washington, D.C., on October 6, 1971.
Fulton’s interest in space and space technology grew out of Cold War events and his diplomatic work. In 1959, while working at the U.N., Fulton was made a congressional advisor on the U.N. Ad Hoc Committee on the Peaceful Uses of Outer Space. He helped represent Congress in negotiations for a treaty aimed at preventing nuclear weapons from being used in space. When Lyndon Johnson signed the Treaty in 1967, Fulton received one of the commemorative pens he used. “Congressman Jim” was an original member of and eventually the ranking Republican on the House Committee on Space, Science, and Technology. At various times, he headed the Manned Spaceflight and NASA Oversight subcommittees, which gave him direct access to the U.S. space program.
