10 Incredible Details Surrounding Bruce McCandless II, The First Untethered Flight in Space

6 /10 Space Walk

His first space flight was not like any other astronaut had ever felt. In addition to serving as a mission specialist in the Space Shuttle Challenger mission, he earned the privilege to be the first to engage in a spacewalk untethered to a spacecraft.

He didn’t travel a long distance, only about 300 feet in total, and never too far from the Challenger.

Astronaut Robert Gibson was the one to capture the photograph that would later become the perfect symbol of the mission’s success.

5 /10 Florida Peninsula

Speaking of his experience in space with the MMU, McCandless said he felt like barely moving despite traveling alongside the space shuttle at more than 18,000 miles an hour.

The MMU kept up with the Challenger, so it would be expected to feel slight motion, especially when there was no nearby reference point to separate location A from B during the flight.

The first time he touched the action was when looking at the Earth. McCandless was relieved to see the Florida Peninsula from way above, not because of anything personal about the place but just the sight of something familiar.

4 /10 Visor Down

The space turned out to be an excellent place for photography, of course, if the right equipment was at hand. The photograph was beautiful because the sun was shining right on him, according to the man himself.

He had to put the visor down, which turned out to be a better decision than it would seem at that point.

Everyone knows it was McCandless with the MMU, but there is a strong sense of anonymity in the image to let people think that the astronaut can be anyone.

Like Neil Armstrong in 1969 on the moon, McCandless was up there 15 years later representing humanity.

3 /10 Flying Machine

McCandless was involved in the development of the jetpack. During the MMU flight, he told the mission control back on Earth radio that he had an excellent flying mission here, in space.

Another person to test the MMU was Robert Stewart, an army colonel. While the deployment of the communication satellites was the primary objective, the untethered flight ended up being the highlight of the mission.

It was a spectacle of bravery and beauty, reported The New York Times.

2 /10 Small Step For Neil

With 300 hours of flying practice on Earth before launch, McCandless claimed to have been over-trained for the task. Some people remained skeptical until he proved them wrong.

One remark that would go down in history books about his achievements mentioned a comparison between himself and his predecessor Neil Armstrong jokingly.

During the flight, McCandless said something to the effect that it might have been a small step for Neil when he landed on the moon, but indeed a giant leap for him.

1 /10 Retired Machine

As successful as it was, MMU only took three flights in space, all in the year 1984.

After a couple more flights, the device was retired. MMU was near perfect, but its use was no longer necessary as the space shuttle became more easily maneuverable.

Improvement in efficiency was the idea that started MMU, and the same idea over the years has finally made it obsolete.

With the addition of robots or remote-controlled robotic arms, astronauts can now perform their duties in a safer environment inside the confines of the space shuttle, reducing the risk of harm without sacrificing efficiency.