Robert McNees
Bruce McCandless and Robert Stewart, mission specialists on the Space Shuttle Challenger during STS-41-B, used nitrogen-propelled maneuvering units to perform the first untethered spacewalks #OTD in 1984.
Images: NASA
https://www.flickr.com/photos/nasacommons/9449352571/in/dateposted/
Robert McNees
In this photo, taken #OTD in 1984, Bruce McCandless is an entire football field away from the space shuttle, with no safety tether.
No astronaut, before or since, has been that far from their ship while in orbit.
Image: NASA
Robert McNees
There is trusting the laws of orbital mechanics on paper, and then there is strapping yourself into a maneuvering unit and wandering off from your ship 300 km above the surface of the Earth while moving at nearly 8 km/s.
McCandless spent one hour and 55 minutes untethered during this EVA, and the orbital period of the shuttle was just over 90 minutes. So unless I’m missing something, *Bruce McCandless completed a full orbit of Earth while disconnected from the shuttle*.
Mister Wanko
@mcnees and if he said he wasn't scared out of his mind he's lying.
Bioteach
@mcnees yikes!
Miss Givings
@mcnees When you just need a little alone time.
Steve Portigal
@mcnees This image had a big effect on me as a kid
Volvodadfast
@mcnees that would mean he was in the dark during a lot of that time
Shachihoko
Put in that light, an untethered spacewalk takes the kind of guts that I can barely imagine ...
Wembley-Circular
Bruce McCandless is the husband of mrs MCCANDLE
Robert McNees
@wembleycircular Thank you.
Robert McNees
When you are a human satellite.
Image: NASA
Meercat ✅
@mcnees Terrifying
Brody Berg
@mcnees just imagine the bravery
Joel LeBlanc
@mcnees dude couldn’t hit the broad sidd of a planet if he fell out of a space ship…. I’ll let myself out 🤓
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