text: A bloodstained document revealing a life-or-death episode that could have derailed the whole US space programme of the 1960s is tipped to sell for £80,000 ($120,000). The splatters of blood on the checklist for the very first US spacewalk were from an astronaut as he frantically battled to close the hatch door of the spacecraft after a historic venture. But the Gemini 4 mission of June 1965 ultimately proved successfully, and paved the way to astronauts walking on the moon for the first time four years later. A complete 13-page checklist, including a bloodstained document seen at the front), from the Gemini 4 mission in June 1965 is tipped to sell for a huge £80,000 ($120,000). The list shows the various steps the astronauts had to go through when opening and closing the hatch to space . Gemini 4 launched from Cape Canaveral in Florida on 3 June 1965 with two astronauts on board. One, Ed White, was tasked with performing the first US spacewalk, less than three months after Soviet Alexey Leonov had completed the first spacewalk in history. The two astronauts on the Gemini 4 mission were Jim McDivitt and Ed White. The Gemini programme of the 1960s was designed to develop and test capabilities that would ultimately land humans on the moon in the Apollo missions. The first crewed Gemini flight, Gemini 3, lifted off Launch Pad 19 at Cape Canaveral in Florida on March 23, 1965. Nasa's two-man Gemini spaceflights demonstrated that astronauts could change their capsule's orbit, remain in space for at least two weeks and work outside their spacecraft. They also pioneered rendezvous and docking with other spacecraft. All were essential skills to land on the moon and return safely to Earth. They orbited Earth 66 times over four days and, on the first day, Ed White donned a spacesuit and drifted out of the cramped capsule. He spent 20 minutes in space on the spacewalk, or extravehicular activity (EVA), before having to come back in, which he said was 'the saddest moment of my life'. But the hatch to get out had proved difficult to open and it was equally difficult to close when White was back inside. It's thought one of them cut their hand or finger on the hatch locking mechanism and their blood ended up on the checklist after they removed their gloves while safely inside. Had the pair not been able to lock the hatch after themselves, they wouldn't have been able to re-enter Earth's atmosphere and would have been lost in space. And had that worse case scenario happened, it could easily have scuppered the Apollo missions that followed including the first of the moon landings four years later in 1969. Edward White, pictured, became the first US astronaut to perform a spacewalk on 3 June 1965. He spent 20 minutes in space, and said coming back in was 'the saddest moment of my life'. As it was the first spacewalk, there were a number of complications. White used a small jet propulsion unit to move around in space . The two astronauts on the Gemini 4 mission were Jim McDivitt and Ed White. They orbited Earth 66 times over four days and, on the first day, Ed White donned a spacesuit and drifted out of the cramped capsule. Shown is the first page of the checklist (left) and the Suit Integrity Check (right) for the spacecraft . The Gemini programme of the 1960s was designed to develop and test capabilities that would ultimately land humans on the moon in the Apollo missions. On the left is part of the checklist used for leaving the spacecraft, and on the right, part of the checks the astronaut leaving had to go through . Nasa's two-man Gemini spaceflights demonstrated that astronauts could change their capsule's orbit, remain in space for at least two weeks and work outside their spacecraft. Pictured is the later Gemini 7 in orbit, as seen from Gemini 6 during a rendezvous mission in December 1965 . Checklists from space missions are said to be highly collectable items because they flew in space and were so vital to the astronauts. The spacewalk checklist for the Gemini 4 mission of 1965 belonged to McDivitt who gave it to a friend after signing it many years ago. The document is now being sold at auction to mark the 50th anniversary of the historic mission. Cassandra Hatton, of auctioneers Bonhams which is selling the item, said: 'The Gemini 4 mission was the first time [an American] walked in space and it was a huge step in the development of the space programme. Gemini 4 (pictured) launched from Cape Canaveral in Florida on 3 June 1965 with two astronauts on board . Shown are astronauts Edward H. White II (left) and James A. McDivitt, command pilot for Gemini 4 . 'We knew we could get into space but until this point we didn't know if we could walk and float around out there. Jim McDivitt and Ed White's achievement is second only to landing on the moon. 'The checklist was vital for making sure things didn't go wrong and they didn't get sucked out into space. 'They had a difficult time in getting back in the capsule afterwards as the hatch got stuck. There was a problem with the latch on the hatch. It was a really scary, life or death moment. 'If they hadn't been able to get the hatch closed they would have died in space. It would have been the first major space programme disaster which could have jettisoned the whole space programme.' The auction takes place on April 24 in New York. The Gemini spacecraft (illustrated) was fairly cramped, leaving the astronauts little room to move around . This fantastic shot shows White floating above the curvature of Earth with the hatch seen open on the right .
target: A piece of space history is going up for auction in New York this month .
  It is a bloodstained checklist from the Gemini 4 mission in 1965 .
  This spacecraft orbited Earth 66 times with two astronauts on board .
  Blood came from astronaut's hand while trying to close the hatch in space .