During the 1984 STS-41-B mission, Bruce McCandless II performed the first untethered spacewalk in history, maneuvering freely in space using the Manned Maneuvering Unit. This achievement capped a career defined by rigorous technical preparation and service as both a United States Navy officer and a NASA astronaut across several decades of aerospace development.
Military Service and Education
Born in Boston in 1937, McCandless graduated from the United States Naval Academy in 1958. He subsequently earned a Master of Science in electrical engineering from Stanford University in 1965 and an MBA from the University of Houston–Clear Lake in 1987. His naval career included pilot training at Pensacola and Kingsville, leading to service as an aviator flying aircraft such as the Douglas F4D-1 Skyray and the McDonnell Douglas F-4B Phantom II. He served aboard the USS Forrestal and the USS Enterprise, with the latter participating in the Cuban Missile Crisis.
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In 1966, NASA selected McCandless as part of Astronaut Group 5. He served as CAPCOM for the Apollo 11 moonwalk and the Apollo 14 mission. Later assigned to the Skylab program, he acted as a backup crew member and contributed to the development of the M-509 maneuvering unit. His focus shifted to the Space Shuttle program, where he managed technical inputs for the Inertial Upper Stage, the Hubble Space Telescope, and the Solar Maximum Repair Mission.
Spaceflight Missions
McCandless logged over 312 hours in space across two missions. His first flight, STS-41-B in 1984, involved the historic checkout of the Manned Maneuvering Unit. His second flight, STS-31 in 1990, resulted in the deployment of the Hubble Space Telescope from an altitude of 380 miles. During that mission, he prepared for a contingency spacewalk to assist with a malfunctioning solar array, though ground control successfully deployed it before an EVA became necessary.
Fast facts
- Born: 1937, Boston
- Died: 2017, Conifer
- Military Rank: Captain 1st Rank
- Education: United States Naval Academy (1958)
- NASA Selection: 1966 (Astronaut Group 5)
- Space Missions: STS-41-B, STS-31
- Total Space Time: Over 312 hours
- Burial Site: United States Naval Academy Cemetery
Questions readers ask
What was the Manned Maneuvering Unit?
The MMU was a propulsion device that allowed astronauts to perform untethered spacewalks, which McCandless flight-tested for the first time in 1984.
Did McCandless walk in space during the Hubble deployment?
No, although he was prepared for a contingency spacewalk to fix a solar array, the issue was resolved by ground control.
Achievements
- Affiliated with National Aeronautics and Space Administration
- Educated at Stanford University, United States Naval Academy and Woodrow Wilson Classical High School
- Worked as military officer, astronaut and aircraft pilot
