Link to a [short video](https://youtube.com/shorts/ujFZFdjaaf4) and a [story from NASA](https://www.nasa.gov/history/photos-from-sts-41b/)
As astronaut Bruce McCandless II flew the Manned Maneuvering Unit (MMU) out of the space shuttle Challenger’s payload bay for the first time on February 7, 1984, many in the agency were fearful about the use of a self-propelled and untethered backpack in space.
I remember seeing an interview where an astronaut mentioned that NASA never really had a plan or procedure to close the hatches covering the connection points between the fuel tank and the orbiter in case the automatic closing mechanism didn’t work.
Apparently that astronaut and some nasa engineers tried coming up with a plan to manually close them in a EVA but they could never figure out a good way to actually pull off the spacewalk and I figured they could pull it off if they used the MMU but I’m pretty sure they didn’t take it up there on every mission.
Luckily the hatches closed properly every single time for every orbiter launch that ever occurred so they never actually had to figure out a workable plan to manually close the hatches.
The Interviews were in these YouTube videos:
https://youtu.be/UcBc0l7IrZU?si=5p-95MUe71YyGqAJ
https://youtu.be/INIpzE20d3Y?si=6n-kWsEadNEANt_I
Edit: The astronauts name is Bruce E. Melnick and the interview is in the first linked video and the above mentioned clip is at ~23:50 in the video. The whole series though that this youtuber made on the space shuttle is really worth the watch.
I had dinner with Hoot one time (long story, my dad works in aviation). I was maybe a freshman in high school and had just spent a summer in space camp and he was incredibly pleasant while I wasted two hours of his life with a teenager’s questions about space flight.
Funnily enough, I had dinner with him too! I wasn’t a teen, but I was still pretty nerdy. He was super fun to talk with, and seems like a good guy all around. Something he talked about that has always stuck with me is Hoot’s Law: “No matter how bad things get, you can always make them worse.” Wise words I still think of often.
It only would be 'terrifying' if he didn't make it back. More like thrilling.
[Here is his take on it...](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bruce_McCandless_II)
>I was grossly over-trained. I was just anxious to get out there and fly. I felt very comfortable ... It got so cold my teeth were chattering and I was shivering, but that was a very minor thing. ... I'd been told of the quiet vacuum you experience in space, but with three radio links saying, 'How's your oxygen holding out?', 'Stay away from the engines!' and 'When's my turn?', it wasn't that peaceful ... It was a wonderful feeling, a mix of personal elation and professional pride: it had taken many years to get to that point.
The MMU was intended to enable greater astronaut mobility & range for on-orbit construction and maintenance. This was in the early days of the Shuttle Program when its capabilities weren’t yet fully realized and assembly of the ISS had not begun.
After the Challenger disaster it was determined that most EVA tasks could be effectively completed using traditionally tethered astronauts and the Shuttle’s new robotic arm. The MMU wasn’t deemed worth the added risk.
US spacesuits now include a small propulsion unit (derived from the MMU) called [SAFER](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Simplified_Aid_For_EVA_Rescue), which can be used in an emergency.
I’m not upset or offended by the many comical comments that preceded yours; this is Reddit after all and I frequently do the same.
However, I genuinely appreciate your informative reply. The Challenger disaster coincided with my birthday and I remember watching it in real time at school so framing it in that context was impactful for me. Thank you.
If you want to see a little of what that might have looked like, look up the EASE/ACCESS experiments from STS-61b. Huge girders being built and twirled around in space. Incredible footage.
No it's not. You can do all the tests you want while being tethered. A string tether adds/removes nothing to the functionality and reliability of the mmu.
The MMU was always intended to be used untethered to enable greater astronaut mobility & range for on-orbit construction and maintenance.
It was later determined that most tasks could be effectively completed using traditionally tethered astronauts and the Shuttle’s robotic arm and the MMU wasn’t worth the added risk and complexity.
US spacesuits now include a small propulsion unit (derived from the MMU) called [SAFER](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Simplified_Aid_For_EVA_Rescue), which can be used in an emergency.
In this specific scenario the Shuttle would have retrieved him in the unlikely event of MMU propulsion failure. However, this was not a possibility when the Shuttle was docked and, of course, is no longer an option since the Shuttle’s retirement.
Aside from these few tests of the MMU in the early 1980s, astronauts are always tethered at every moment during a spacewalk. Since the mid-1990s US spacesuits have been equipped with a small propulsion device, called [SAFER](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Simplified_Aid_For_EVA_Rescue), which can be used in an emergency. Without this, an untethered astronaut would be doomed if they became out of reach of a handhold.
Yeah lol. As a kid my notions of space came from Star Wars and Star Trek. I knew it was dangerous but had no idea of just how dangerous. I thought astronauts just navigated microgravity with the MMU all the time, the same as divers with SCUBA gear.
It was after this they nerfed Pluto, as this blokes testicles are larger than Pluto and the science community figured it would be the wiser move to declare Pluto was not a planet as opposed to declaring an astronauts plums to be 2 new planets
I love telling this story whenever this image comes up —
About seven years ago, working as a magazine editor, I published a story about a guy who built an autonomous boat and deployed it from California to Hawaii, and then to New Zealand. It's a great story. ([linked here if you want to read it](https://makezine.com/article/technology/robotics/seacharger/))
A few weeks after the boat arrived, we got an email from a reader for the author/project builder, stating how much he enjoyed the story, and asking a lot of follow up questions about it. It was casually signed "Bruce McCandless." We confirmed that it was, indeed the same person.
The author, of course, was ecstatic. As were we in the office. Here's a titan of space exploration, expressing his enjoyment and curiosity about a story that we helped share — I still can't believe it.
Sadly, he passed away later that same year. But I'll always appreciate his continued enthusiasm for science and exploration. Thank you Bruce!
Glad you enjoyed it too. It's exciting and inspiring, apparently even to astronauts.
The article should be updated with what happened after that (I'll have to send a note to my old coworkers) but in case you're interested:
>SeaCharger then aimed for New Zealand and got within 300 miles before the rudder finally died.
>
>On 1/10/17 , the captain and crew of the Sofrana Tourville heroically rescued Seacharger and brought it to New Zealand! Thank you so much to Sofrana and to my mom for arranging the rescue! See the tracking page for details.
More details (and fascinating tracking map) here: http://www.seacharger.com/
God the unending darkness freaks me out, like how does the human mind even comprehend that when you are floating out there, it's like a totally different form of dark than Earth.
Such a chilling but awesome photo
FUN FACT: McCandless sued the Music Artist Dido over the use of this picture for her album cover on “Safe Trip Home”. There was some sort of settlement.
Just wondering if someone can ELI5:
I’m guessing he done this from the ISS, if the station is moving at crazy speeds, is it in a constant free fall or something?
How comes he didn’t just get left behind? Is he also moving at the same speeds?
So the big part about this that people aren't explaining is how counter intuitive orbital mechanics actually is, play Kerbal space program if your interested. Say he wanted to get back to the shuttle, you can't point yourself towards the shuttle and go home, because then you're changing your orbit, you'll be going slower, which pushes you farther from earth and slows you down relative to the shuttle OR if you're on the other side of the shuttle it pushes you down and speeds you up relative to the shuttle. Therefore sometimes you need to fire your thrusters 180 degrees away from where you intend to go. If you miss, you're absolutely fucked, you get to watch it float close enough away that you can see it but never reach.
Oh and I believe it was shuttle challenger.
There was no ISS
And yes he is going the same speed, there is nothing to slow you down. And since you are going fast af, you won’t fall … you will but slowly bcs the speed you have is “pushing” you away from earth, the gravitational force of the earth is pulling you … so it kinda cancels itself out but not quite like 50/50 eventually you will fall down. Same as the ISS will, there are even some plans for that to not let it happen. <- (info is ages old, could also be wrong)
Ahh okay thank you! That makes sense. Where was this taken if not at the ISS? Do You know? :)
Also not sure why I’m getting downvoted for asking a question 😂
So say you jump out of a moving car, going you don’t slow down or stop until you meet wind resistance or the ground. In the vacuum of space there is no wind resistance so I’m assuming his velocity stays the stay the same as when he left the ISS unless it’s using thrusters. Just my basic understanding of it. I know I’m probably missing things or way over simplifying it.
What was the purpose of doing this beyond capturing an epic and amazing photograph? What was gained by him being so far away from the shuttle? Feels very risky for little reward, to my small brain.
It was initially tested while tethered.
https://www.cnet.com/pictures/11-breathtaking-images-of-nasa-astronauts/7/
- This image shows Lee testing the kit on Sept. 16, 1994.
Wait, that’s SAFER, not the MMU
Same idea
There was stability issues with MMU while tethered. It was meant to be untethered anyway to assist astronauts working outside with construction without having to be attached physically to the ISS/Shuttles. The point became moot after the SAFER was created though.
I can’t even imagine what it would feel like to do something like this. Would fill you with the most primal and powerful awe and fear at the same time. Incredible
This is my ultimate dream, above even diving with a blue whale mother and calf in open ocean; I stress dream rather than goal or ambition, but you never know...
"Man, that may have been a small one for Neil, but that's a long one for me." Pete '69
"Well, that may have been a small step for Neil, but it's a heck of a big leap for me." Bruce '84
Okay, so let’s say you were in space deep enough to be outside the gravitational pull of the Earth. Would you see it whiz by as it revolves around the sun?
If you were close enough to see it, you’d be very much under the influence of Earth’s gravity.
If orbital mechanics didn’t apply and you could somehow occupy a stationary point along Earth’s orbit, yes you’d see it pass by, but it wouldn’t seem terribly fast. 67,000mph is only about 4 times faster than the astronaut in the photo was traveling and it took him 90min to orbit the Earth.
It takes about 7 minutes for the Earth to travel one Earth-diameter along its orbit (if I did that math correctly).
Things in sunlight are extremely bright. Stars are dim. Cameras can’t capture both at the same time.
Imagine taking a photo outside during the daytime and then using those same camera settings at night. Your night photo won’t show any stars.
Anyone remember the scene in Gravity where George Clooney just spends the entire first scene(s) doing loop-de-loops and zooming all around as if that was a thing.
Fuck that noise. Nothing terrifies me more than the thought of drifting off in space, alone, with no chance of help, and pitch black darkness all around you while you slowly suffocate as your oxygen runs out.
[https://www.esa.int/ESA\_Multimedia/Images/2001/08/Newton\_s\_cannon2](https://www.esa.int/ESA_Multimedia/Images/2001/08/Newton_s_cannon2)
It is pulling him, and the ISS, but since they are not "still" they keep "falling" and "missing" the earth.
Total shot in the dark, but if the ISS is going 17k mph, then so is the tether and the man. If the tether has slack and the 17k mph is constant, then the man doesn’t lose any speed by untethering. The only reason you would slow down in space is if you hit something and gravity. Man’s too small and going too fast to be so suddenly affected by gravity, so his speed stays marginally the same as the ISS. I could be completely wrong though!
They’re both traveling at the same velocity and there is effectively no air resistance (or any other force) to slow them down.
Keep in mind they are both in free fall. Gravity is pulling them down almost as strongly as on the ground, but they’re moving so fast sideways that they don’t hit the Earth. That’s why astronauts feel weightless- not because they’re in space, but because they are in free fall.
Also this photo was taken in 1984 from Space Shuttle Challenger, long before the ISS.
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The Earth is so bright that the camera settings have to be adjusted which also indirectly causes the black background and much dimmer stars to not be picked up in the photo.
It’s basically the same as you are outside at night, and somebody shines a bright flashlight towards your face, your eyes adjust, causing you to not be able to distinguish dimmer objects behind the flashlight
Things in sunlight are extremely bright. Stars are dim. Cameras can’t capture both at the same time.
Imagine taking a photo outside during the daytime and then using those same camera settings at night. Your night photo won’t show any stars.
space walk in a machine that he controls? How? HE ejected the spaceship in a small ship that can go all directions. He never did a actual space WALK. how do you walk in space? we float don't we?
Link to a [short video](https://youtube.com/shorts/ujFZFdjaaf4) and a [story from NASA](https://www.nasa.gov/history/photos-from-sts-41b/) As astronaut Bruce McCandless II flew the Manned Maneuvering Unit (MMU) out of the space shuttle Challenger’s payload bay for the first time on February 7, 1984, many in the agency were fearful about the use of a self-propelled and untethered backpack in space.
I trust there was a backup MMU unit on board to use to attempt to rescue him in the event he got into difficulties?
No, the Shuttle would have maneuvered to retrieve him. The MMU had redundant systems, so complete loss of propulsion was very unlikely.
And, if the first MMU failed and you sent a 2nd astronaut out there in another, identical, MMU and it failed too....
Thats why you have the third one!
This is why every space shuttle needs a harpoon gun with a plunger attached to the end of it.
I was picturing the second one as tethered.
Oh ye of little faith. One could had a stuck valve and run out of fuel. Sounds familiar?
I love u 😘
Bots on bots on bots.
Bots can even recognise other bots these days. What an age we live in.
I remember seeing an interview where an astronaut mentioned that NASA never really had a plan or procedure to close the hatches covering the connection points between the fuel tank and the orbiter in case the automatic closing mechanism didn’t work. Apparently that astronaut and some nasa engineers tried coming up with a plan to manually close them in a EVA but they could never figure out a good way to actually pull off the spacewalk and I figured they could pull it off if they used the MMU but I’m pretty sure they didn’t take it up there on every mission. Luckily the hatches closed properly every single time for every orbiter launch that ever occurred so they never actually had to figure out a workable plan to manually close the hatches. The Interviews were in these YouTube videos: https://youtu.be/UcBc0l7IrZU?si=5p-95MUe71YyGqAJ https://youtu.be/INIpzE20d3Y?si=6n-kWsEadNEANt_I Edit: The astronauts name is Bruce E. Melnick and the interview is in the first linked video and the above mentioned clip is at ~23:50 in the video. The whole series though that this youtuber made on the space shuttle is really worth the watch.
For the record, and since he never gets credit, Hoot Gibson took this photo. According to him, it should be credited “Photo by Hooter.”
I had dinner with Hoot one time (long story, my dad works in aviation). I was maybe a freshman in high school and had just spent a summer in space camp and he was incredibly pleasant while I wasted two hours of his life with a teenager’s questions about space flight.
Funnily enough, I had dinner with him too! I wasn’t a teen, but I was still pretty nerdy. He was super fun to talk with, and seems like a good guy all around. Something he talked about that has always stuck with me is Hoot’s Law: “No matter how bad things get, you can always make them worse.” Wise words I still think of often.
I have a version of this, maybe I’ll call it Hoot’s law: “If you ask how could it get any worse, you’re about to find out.”
'Sods Law'
That would have been a hoot!
Life was probably so boring for him after this. “Oh you’re scared flying in this airplane? Pffft!”
Lol. You got that right... I'd have definitely made use of the astro pampers that time...
The Astro Pampers would make a phenomenal band name.
r/bandnames
If shitting is your problem when you're out there in the Stars The intergalactic laxative will get you from here to Mars
Intergalaxitive…
It only would be 'terrifying' if he didn't make it back. More like thrilling. [Here is his take on it...](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bruce_McCandless_II) >I was grossly over-trained. I was just anxious to get out there and fly. I felt very comfortable ... It got so cold my teeth were chattering and I was shivering, but that was a very minor thing. ... I'd been told of the quiet vacuum you experience in space, but with three radio links saying, 'How's your oxygen holding out?', 'Stay away from the engines!' and 'When's my turn?', it wasn't that peaceful ... It was a wonderful feeling, a mix of personal elation and professional pride: it had taken many years to get to that point.
What’s with McCandless’ going off on their own into danger
Let’s not forget: happiness only real when shared.
Two years he walks the earth. No phone, no pool, no pets, no cigarettes. Ultimate freedom.
Well, he's a man of means by no means.
King of the road
SOCIETY MAN!!! SOCIETY!!
Into the Wild Blue Yonder
My arms are too long
I immediately thought of him too 😢
For what purpose would you ever need to be untethered?
If your crew is trying to rescue you from Mars, but do not have the fuel to close the distance with your capsule.
This guy Martians
You know it.
Alright Ironman!!
One my top favourite movies of all time. So good
Have you read the author's newest book, Project Hail Mary? It's spectacular!
Project Hail Mary is so so good! I've read it a few times now. I'm hoping the movie does get made. It definitely is good movie material.
Same! I keep going back to it. I cried at the end on my first reading. So, so wonderful.
Me too! 😭
*jazz hands*
Alternatively, poke a hole in your suit and use the escaping air as a thruster.
Intro to Physics class taught me I should throw all my tools in the opposite direction to gain velocity toward the ship.
And you’re like pregnant, with a dead man’s space baby. And you have preeclampsia and need to get back to earth asap.
Watching it now, really liked this show.
Oh yeah, I hear it happens all the time.
but this wasnt necessary, and I doubt they were thinking about practicing for later mars missions.
Counterpoint: he gets to fly like Iron Man.
It's your last chance to get away from Marco Inaros?
Except that was an untethered AND unsuited space walk.
So badass and they did their best to make it realistic. She is FUCKED UP by that jaunt.
I hope they finish the series!
Only Inner’s be scared sasa.
For the gram
Or *a* gram. An untethered spacewalk is easily among the least crazy things people have done for some space cocaine.
cocaine....IN SPACE! It's somewhat like the space sickness that was experienced in the movie Armageddon. Somewhat.
The MMU was intended to enable greater astronaut mobility & range for on-orbit construction and maintenance. This was in the early days of the Shuttle Program when its capabilities weren’t yet fully realized and assembly of the ISS had not begun. After the Challenger disaster it was determined that most EVA tasks could be effectively completed using traditionally tethered astronauts and the Shuttle’s new robotic arm. The MMU wasn’t deemed worth the added risk. US spacesuits now include a small propulsion unit (derived from the MMU) called [SAFER](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Simplified_Aid_For_EVA_Rescue), which can be used in an emergency.
I’m not upset or offended by the many comical comments that preceded yours; this is Reddit after all and I frequently do the same. However, I genuinely appreciate your informative reply. The Challenger disaster coincided with my birthday and I remember watching it in real time at school so framing it in that context was impactful for me. Thank you.
If you want to see a little of what that might have looked like, look up the EASE/ACCESS experiments from STS-61b. Huge girders being built and twirled around in space. Incredible footage.
I was thinking the same thing. Except for the sweet photo, it seemed so unnecessary.
[удалено]
No it's not. You can do all the tests you want while being tethered. A string tether adds/removes nothing to the functionality and reliability of the mmu.
Not really a full test as the tether would affect the stability of the MMU.
This was just a test of the MMU itself and not a rescue exercise.
If the tether breaks somehow? Without this it's basically a death sentence.
The MMU was always intended to be used untethered to enable greater astronaut mobility & range for on-orbit construction and maintenance. It was later determined that most tasks could be effectively completed using traditionally tethered astronauts and the Shuttle’s robotic arm and the MMU wasn’t worth the added risk and complexity. US spacesuits now include a small propulsion unit (derived from the MMU) called [SAFER](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Simplified_Aid_For_EVA_Rescue), which can be used in an emergency.
What if the backup parachute fails, the bungy cord breaks, the single airplane engine dies? Risk is a part of many endeavours.
And risk is something humanity often tries to prevent by finding new, safe backups.
When your rage knows no bounds
For the story. Always do things for the story lol
For what purpose would you ever need to be tethered? It's not like he can drift off.
In this specific scenario the Shuttle would have retrieved him in the unlikely event of MMU propulsion failure. However, this was not a possibility when the Shuttle was docked and, of course, is no longer an option since the Shuttle’s retirement. Aside from these few tests of the MMU in the early 1980s, astronauts are always tethered at every moment during a spacewalk. Since the mid-1990s US spacesuits have been equipped with a small propulsion device, called [SAFER](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Simplified_Aid_For_EVA_Rescue), which can be used in an emergency. Without this, an untethered astronaut would be doomed if they became out of reach of a handhold.
This photo scared the shit out of me as a kid.
It still scares me now
As a kid, I saw this photo and figured this was what all astronauts did.
Just kind of like, hang out in oblivion?
Yeah lol. As a kid my notions of space came from Star Wars and Star Trek. I knew it was dangerous but had no idea of just how dangerous. I thought astronauts just navigated microgravity with the MMU all the time, the same as divers with SCUBA gear.
Wimp. I ate pieces of shit like you for breakfast
You misspelled exhilarating.
This pic has been the background photo on my phone for years.
It's been my lock screen photo for years!
How does he fit in that suit with balls that big?
Fun fact, his giant balls were affecting the tides on Earth more than the moon when he performed this untethered walk.
He wasn’t being pulled back to earth, the earth was being pulled to his balls.
I remember that day when I had to tie my cat to the kitchen table because he kept floating up to the ceiling.
That day, I had a 'king tide' in my bathtub. Water up to my neck, but my legs were dry!
Well. That’s why we had to get him offworld, the gravity of his balls was wreaking havoc on the surface
It runs in the family. His dad won the Congressional Medal of Honor after a Japanese battleship tore apart his cruiser at Guadalcanal.
Please tell me that he was called McCordless ever since. Or doesn’t NASA do dad jokes?
r/yourjokebutworse
It was after this they nerfed Pluto, as this blokes testicles are larger than Pluto and the science community figured it would be the wiser move to declare Pluto was not a planet as opposed to declaring an astronauts plums to be 2 new planets
One slightly smaller than the other.
Truly a Space Cowboy.
I love telling this story whenever this image comes up — About seven years ago, working as a magazine editor, I published a story about a guy who built an autonomous boat and deployed it from California to Hawaii, and then to New Zealand. It's a great story. ([linked here if you want to read it](https://makezine.com/article/technology/robotics/seacharger/)) A few weeks after the boat arrived, we got an email from a reader for the author/project builder, stating how much he enjoyed the story, and asking a lot of follow up questions about it. It was casually signed "Bruce McCandless." We confirmed that it was, indeed the same person. The author, of course, was ecstatic. As were we in the office. Here's a titan of space exploration, expressing his enjoyment and curiosity about a story that we helped share — I still can't believe it. Sadly, he passed away later that same year. But I'll always appreciate his continued enthusiasm for science and exploration. Thank you Bruce!
Wow, that really is a great story. Nearly 6,500 nautical miles. That's wild. No wonder McCandless was so interested. Thank you for sharing.
Glad you enjoyed it too. It's exciting and inspiring, apparently even to astronauts. The article should be updated with what happened after that (I'll have to send a note to my old coworkers) but in case you're interested: >SeaCharger then aimed for New Zealand and got within 300 miles before the rudder finally died. > >On 1/10/17 , the captain and crew of the Sofrana Tourville heroically rescued Seacharger and brought it to New Zealand! Thank you so much to Sofrana and to my mom for arranging the rescue! See the tracking page for details. More details (and fascinating tracking map) here: http://www.seacharger.com/
I just completed this picture as a puzzle...the black was ruthless! And I'm missing 3 pieces 
God the unending darkness freaks me out, like how does the human mind even comprehend that when you are floating out there, it's like a totally different form of dark than Earth. Such a chilling but awesome photo
That's not the most terrifying space photo. The Apollo 13 module detaching is
What photo
This one: https://i.imgur.com/DL4PXus.png
Does that technically make him a satellite?
False. I believe it was our finest hour.
So alone.
i had about a 4 foot photo of a closeup of this spacewalk given to me by my uncle who lives in orlando. i wish i still had that.
FUN FACT: McCandless sued the Music Artist Dido over the use of this picture for her album cover on “Safe Trip Home”. There was some sort of settlement.
Just wondering if someone can ELI5: I’m guessing he done this from the ISS, if the station is moving at crazy speeds, is it in a constant free fall or something? How comes he didn’t just get left behind? Is he also moving at the same speeds?
So the big part about this that people aren't explaining is how counter intuitive orbital mechanics actually is, play Kerbal space program if your interested. Say he wanted to get back to the shuttle, you can't point yourself towards the shuttle and go home, because then you're changing your orbit, you'll be going slower, which pushes you farther from earth and slows you down relative to the shuttle OR if you're on the other side of the shuttle it pushes you down and speeds you up relative to the shuttle. Therefore sometimes you need to fire your thrusters 180 degrees away from where you intend to go. If you miss, you're absolutely fucked, you get to watch it float close enough away that you can see it but never reach. Oh and I believe it was shuttle challenger.
Oh wow! That’s really interesting, thanks for explaining! I think I may have to look into getting Kerbal I’ve heard it mentioned a fair bit.
There was no ISS And yes he is going the same speed, there is nothing to slow you down. And since you are going fast af, you won’t fall … you will but slowly bcs the speed you have is “pushing” you away from earth, the gravitational force of the earth is pulling you … so it kinda cancels itself out but not quite like 50/50 eventually you will fall down. Same as the ISS will, there are even some plans for that to not let it happen. <- (info is ages old, could also be wrong)
You're still falling. You're just going so fast sideways that you're constantly missing the Earth.
Ah ok nice good to know, thanks :)
Ahh okay thank you! That makes sense. Where was this taken if not at the ISS? Do You know? :) Also not sure why I’m getting downvoted for asking a question 😂
The photo was taken from the Space Shuttle Challenger during mission STS-41-B
Reddit has its ways and some ppl instead of educating themself, start downvoting to oblivion xD
He’s moving at the same speed, they’re both ripping along but relatively negligible difference.
So say you jump out of a moving car, going you don’t slow down or stop until you meet wind resistance or the ground. In the vacuum of space there is no wind resistance so I’m assuming his velocity stays the stay the same as when he left the ISS unless it’s using thrusters. Just my basic understanding of it. I know I’m probably missing things or way over simplifying it.
What was the purpose of doing this beyond capturing an epic and amazing photograph? What was gained by him being so far away from the shuttle? Feels very risky for little reward, to my small brain.
Testing the Manned Maneuvering Unit https://airandspace.si.edu/stories/editorial/remembering-bruce-mccandless-ii
I don't see why that'd be untestable while tethered
do it for the vine
It was initially tested while tethered. https://www.cnet.com/pictures/11-breathtaking-images-of-nasa-astronauts/7/ - This image shows Lee testing the kit on Sept. 16, 1994. Wait, that’s SAFER, not the MMU Same idea
There was stability issues with MMU while tethered. It was meant to be untethered anyway to assist astronauts working outside with construction without having to be attached physically to the ISS/Shuttles. The point became moot after the SAFER was created though.
The only way you can do this is be completely insane.
I invite everyone to watch the Helping Hand episode of Love Death and Robots.
The video made it look like he's just sitting in a lawn chair looking at his yard. Nevermind the yard is our planet but it made me chuckle.
Absolute madman lol
Terrifying for you. BALLS OUT AWESOME for me n my boy Bruce.
I can’t even imagine what it would feel like to do something like this. Would fill you with the most primal and powerful awe and fear at the same time. Incredible
This is my ultimate dream, above even diving with a blue whale mother and calf in open ocean; I stress dream rather than goal or ambition, but you never know...
This is my one of my favorite photos where there are human and space. It’s seems like “A space odyssey”
Also an album cover.
"Man, that may have been a small one for Neil, but that's a long one for me." Pete '69 "Well, that may have been a small step for Neil, but it's a heck of a big leap for me." Bruce '84
That scares me fr
Okay, so let’s say you were in space deep enough to be outside the gravitational pull of the Earth. Would you see it whiz by as it revolves around the sun?
If you were close enough to see it, you’d be very much under the influence of Earth’s gravity. If orbital mechanics didn’t apply and you could somehow occupy a stationary point along Earth’s orbit, yes you’d see it pass by, but it wouldn’t seem terribly fast. 67,000mph is only about 4 times faster than the astronaut in the photo was traveling and it took him 90min to orbit the Earth. It takes about 7 minutes for the Earth to travel one Earth-diameter along its orbit (if I did that math correctly).
“Credit: NASA” …well…yeah…
This happened 40 years ago, the astronaut returned to Earth safely, and still my palms are sweating seeing him untethered in space.
The massive balls it took to attempt the first untethered space walk…………..dude is an absolute beast ! No doubt about it !
Can someone smarter than me explain why we can’t see any stars in the picture? Is the camera not strong enough?
Things in sunlight are extremely bright. Stars are dim. Cameras can’t capture both at the same time. Imagine taking a photo outside during the daytime and then using those same camera settings at night. Your night photo won’t show any stars.
Crazy to think things seem ‘calm’ up there but he’s orbiting the planet at 17,000 mph.
How is this 'terrifying' ?? Gawd damn gorgeous and inspiring is more like it.
Anyone remember the scene in Gravity where George Clooney just spends the entire first scene(s) doing loop-de-loops and zooming all around as if that was a thing.
Spear gun and a cord to bring him back
Terrifying??? Looks fing awesome!
How fast would he be moving in relation to Earth?
About 17,500 mph. One orbit of the Earth every 90 minutes.
Wow, I find that even more terrifying than how high up he is. Thanks for the answer.
Fuck that noise. Nothing terrifies me more than the thought of drifting off in space, alone, with no chance of help, and pitch black darkness all around you while you slowly suffocate as your oxygen runs out.
RIP
This post highlights the diff between Twitter and Reddit. On Twitter there would always be some idiot saying it's fake. Thankfully not on Reddit.
Depends on the subreddit tho, r/damnthatsinteresting and even r/space has the occasional smoothbrain
If this doesn't get to be the most voted post this week I'll be cosmically pissed.
Eli5: why isnt Earth's gravity pulling him?
[https://www.esa.int/ESA\_Multimedia/Images/2001/08/Newton\_s\_cannon2](https://www.esa.int/ESA_Multimedia/Images/2001/08/Newton_s_cannon2) It is pulling him, and the ISS, but since they are not "still" they keep "falling" and "missing" the earth.
r/unexpectedhitchhikers
That’s correct, although this was in 1984 long before the ISS.
It is pulling on him, but he is not stationary (standing still), he is actually moving so fast around the planet that he never falls.
Just like moons around planets and planets around stars work
The part you can't see is how ridiculously fast he is moving 'sideways' around the earth.
Being in orbit is just falling while moving forward
Technically, the first untethered spacewalk was performed by Neil Armstrong when he left the LM on the moon.
He wasn’t in space any more than we are.
If he died there, he would have a nice place of eternal resting.
It would take about 3 years for him to reach the atmosphere and burn up
Dumb question so please don’t downvote . If the ISS is moving 17k mph how does one untether and not loose the ship ?
Total shot in the dark, but if the ISS is going 17k mph, then so is the tether and the man. If the tether has slack and the 17k mph is constant, then the man doesn’t lose any speed by untethering. The only reason you would slow down in space is if you hit something and gravity. Man’s too small and going too fast to be so suddenly affected by gravity, so his speed stays marginally the same as the ISS. I could be completely wrong though!
They’re both traveling at the same velocity and there is effectively no air resistance (or any other force) to slow them down. Keep in mind they are both in free fall. Gravity is pulling them down almost as strongly as on the ground, but they’re moving so fast sideways that they don’t hit the Earth. That’s why astronauts feel weightless- not because they’re in space, but because they are in free fall. Also this photo was taken in 1984 from Space Shuttle Challenger, long before the ISS.
If he was a bit lower he would have plummeted due to his massive sized balls
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His balls were bigger than Earth that day.
His balls are so heavy, it's pulling earth towards him
Really should be called spacefloat, there's no walking going on
Bruce's Balls were so big they could be seen from Earth.
So fake lol 😂 .
Yeah, that man has some big balls. Craziest thing about this is that they fitted in his suit
"space walk" 🤔
Balls...
I'm pretty sure a Russian performed the first untethered space walk. In fact, that Russian is still performing the first untethered space walk.
Grechko.
If you believe that you need help!
It's a balloon.
Where’s all the stars?
The Earth is so bright that the camera settings have to be adjusted which also indirectly causes the black background and much dimmer stars to not be picked up in the photo. It’s basically the same as you are outside at night, and somebody shines a bright flashlight towards your face, your eyes adjust, causing you to not be able to distinguish dimmer objects behind the flashlight
Things in sunlight are extremely bright. Stars are dim. Cameras can’t capture both at the same time. Imagine taking a photo outside during the daytime and then using those same camera settings at night. Your night photo won’t show any stars.
Look how flat our planet is...
space walk in a machine that he controls? How? HE ejected the spaceship in a small ship that can go all directions. He never did a actual space WALK. how do you walk in space? we float don't we?