UNATTACHED ASTRONAUT SPACEWALKS ARE AMONG THE MOST UNNERVING SPACE IMAGES AVAILABLE
One of the coolest occupations in the world is being an astronaut, but there are risks involved. Nevertheless, these daring moves are what propel space exploration forward and create history. The majority of the more than 300 astronauts and space tourists who have done spacewalks have done so while securely strapped to prevent being drawn into the vacuum of space. However, some of the most eerie space footage we've ever seen was obtained forty years ago when a few astronauts experimented with untethered spacewalks.
Twenty years after the first astronauts walked in space, the year 1984 was an important turning point in the history of space exploration. The first untethered spacewalk was carried out by astronauts Bruce McCandless II and Bob Stewart during the STS-41-B Space Shuttle mission in February of that year. With the assistance of their Maneuvering Unit (MMU), the two jumped out of the Space Shuttle Challenger. The astronauts were able to stay steady and move around in space because of this nitrogen-propelled jetpack's 24 nitrogen rockets, which could be operated with joysticks.
McCandless tested the MMU for the first time, flying 300 feet from the Challenger at his maximum distance. On the shuttle, his fellow crew members would record a film and take a photo that garnered international attention. The astronaut is depicted in the picture as a small figure against the immense blackness of space. At the time, McCandless remarked, "It's a heck of a big jump for me, but it may have been one small step for Neil."
Months later, the knowledge gained from this spacewalk would be useful. Astronauts Dale Gardner and Joseph Allen used it in November 1984 after rocket failure caused two malfunctioning communication satellites, the Palapa B2 and Westar 6, to lose their proper orbits. Allen pursued the Palapa B2, the first salvage mission ever carried out in space, while Gardner, carrying an MMU, was sent from the Space Shuttle Discovery to recover the Westar 6.
Gardner maneuvers the satellite with the curve of the Earth beneath him in a terrifying image (and video). The Apogee Kick Motor Capture Device (ACD), sometimes referred to as the "stinger," assisted the astronaut in completing this duty. With the technology, Gardner would be fully separated from the shuttle and be able to control the MMU while recovering the satellite. Gardner humorously compared the mission to a scrapyard operation while holding a "for sale" sign in a photo taken after the satellites were securely inside the Discovery cargo bay.