{"id":10100,"date":"2024-02-03T00:05:04","date_gmt":"2024-02-03T04:05:04","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/zobi.alcowep.com\/bourtagshdrevxnls658739\/the-iconic-photos-from-sts-41b-documenting-the-first-untethered-spacewalk\/"},"modified":"2024-02-03T00:05:04","modified_gmt":"2024-02-03T04:05:04","slug":"the-iconic-photos-from-sts-41b-documenting-the-first-untethered-spacewalk","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/zobi.alcowep.com\/bourtagshdrevxnls658739\/the-iconic-photos-from-sts-41b-documenting-the-first-untethered-spacewalk\/","title":{"rendered":"The Iconic Photos from STS-41B: Documenting the First Untethered Spacewalk"},"content":{"rendered":"

The Iconic Photos from STS-41B: Documenting the First Untethered Spacewalk<\/h2>\n

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4 Min Read<\/div>\n

\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tThe Iconic Photos from STS-41B: Documenting the First Untethered Spacewalk\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/h1>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n
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Astronaut Bruce McCandless II, STS-41B mission specialist, reaches his maximum distance from space shuttle Challenger before returning to the spacecraft using the Manned Maneuvering Unit (MMU).<\/figcaption><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n
\n\t\t\t\t\t\tCredits: <\/span>
\n\t\t\t\t\t\tNASA<\/span>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n<\/figcaption><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n

As astronaut Bruce McCandless II flew the Manned Maneuvering Unit (MMU) out of the space shuttle Challenger\u2019s 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. \u00a0(Previous spacewalkers remained connected to the vehicle with tethers. This jet-pack allowed crews to move outside of the cargo bay and perform activities away from the safety of the spacecraft.) He remembered trying to ease the tension for his wife and the flight controllers in Mission Control, saying something similar to Neil Armstrong\u2019s declaration as he first stepped on the Moon in 1969. \u201cIt may have been one small step for Neil,\u201d he proclaimed, \u201cbut it\u2019s a heck of a big leap for me.\u201d<\/p>\n

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It may have been one small step for Neil, but it\u2019s a heck of a big leap for me.<\/span><\/h2>\n<\/p><\/div>\n
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\"Bruce<\/figure>\n<\/div>\n
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Bruce McCandless II<\/p>\n

NASA Astronaut<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/div>\n

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The crew of STS-41B take an informal portrait on the mid-deck of the Earth-orbiting Challenger. Counter clockwise from the top right are astronauts Vance D. Brand commander; Robert L. \u201cHoot\u201d Gibson, pilot; and Dr. Ronald E. McNair, Bruce McCandless II, and Robert L. Stewart, all mission specialists.<\/div>\n
NASA<\/div>\n<\/figcaption><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

The MMU was the highlight of the STS-41B mission as demonstrated by the stunning mission photographs that graced the cover of Aviation Week & Space Technology<\/em>, not once, not twice, but three times. \u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cHoot\u201d Gibson, the flight\u2019s pilot, shot the photograph featured on the February 20, 1984, issue of the magazine from the crew cabin. Gibson remembered he was the only one on the crew that \u201chad absolutely nothing to do\u201d as McCandless made his way out into space, so he picked up a Hasselblad camera and began documenting the events. When he first looked through the camera\u2019s viewfinder, he could not believe what an incredible sight it was to see McCandless untethered, floating above the Earth. Gibson wanted to capture what he was seeing and remembered how meticulous he was.\u00a0For each photograph he took three light meter readings and checked the focus four times. In the crew\u2019s photography training he learned that an off-kilter horizon looked wrong and was not pleasing to the eye. That presented a slight problem because Challenger was at a 28.5-degree inclination, so he \u201ctilted the camera to put the horizon level in the pictures.\u201d<\/p>\n

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Astronaut Bruce McCandless II is a few meters away from the cabin of the Earth-orbiting space shuttle Challenger in this iconic photo taken by Hoot Gibson, which was featured on the February 20, 1984 issue of Aviation Week & Space Technology.<\/div>\n
NASA<\/div>\n<\/figcaption><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

The result was one of NASA\u2019s most iconic and requested images. McCandless called the photograph \u201cbeautiful, partly because the sun is shining directly on me.\u201d His son, Bruce McCandless III, said his father \u201cappears to be glowing.\u201d Because the sun was in his eyes, he closed the helmet visor, which made it difficult to identify who exactly was inside the spacesuit. \u201cMy anonymity means people can imagine themselves doing the same thing,\u201d he said. And, he added, \u201cat visitor centres [sic], they often have life-sized cardboard versions with the visor cut out, so people can peep through.\u201d Perhaps more importantly, as expressed by United States Senator John McCain, the photo \u201cinspired generations of Americans to believe that there is no limit to the human potential.\u201d<\/p>\n

A second, but less recognized image, appeared on the cover of Aviation Week & Space Technology<\/em> the following week: February 27, 1984. Also taken by Gibson, the image featured McCandless on the Manipulator Foot Restraint or \u201ccherry picker\u201d device at end of the Remote Manipulator System (RMS). The restraint was a platform where spacewalkers could work outside the vehicle but remain anchored at the end of the RMS to repair a satellite or other activities. STS-41B marked the first test of the new apparatus. Gibson explained how he chose to capture McCandless on the device. \u201cWhat I did was I shifted the camera so that he wasn\u2019t right in the center of the picture. I put him on the edge and the orbiter\u2019s rudder on the other edge of the picture. That made a really cool photo.\u201d<\/p>\n

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The feet of Bruce McCandless II are anchored in the Mobile Foot Restraint (MFR) and moved around by the Remote Manipulator System (RMS). The aft portion of the Challenger, to which the RMS is connected, is seen in lower left corner.<\/div>\n
NASA<\/div>\n<\/figcaption><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

A third image from the mission appeared on the March 12, 1984, cover of the magazine. The photograph, taken by a fixed camera on McCandless\u2019s helmet, captured Challenger in its entirety, which included the payload bay with the Shuttle Pallet Satellite and a glimpse of astronaut Robert Stewart standing just beneath the spacecraft\u2019s RMS. <\/p>\n

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This photo of Challenger was the third from the STS-41B mission to be featured on the cover of Aviation Week & Space Technology.<\/div>\n
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These photographs from STS-41B, from the tenth flight of the space shuttle, illustrate just how engaging and exciting shuttle missions were. While flying in space became more routine in the 1980s, no one, not even the crew, \u201cappreciated how spectacular\u201d the first MMU flight \u201cwas going to be.\u201d The STS-41B photos demonstrated that human spaceflight remained just as captivating, breathtaking, and inspiring as it had always been.<\/p>\n

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\n\t\tSee more photos from the STS-41B mission<\/span>
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\n\t\tLearn about the MMU<\/span>
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\n\t\tRead Hoot Gibson’s oral history interviews<\/span>
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About the Author<\/h3>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n
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\"Jennifer<\/div>\n
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Jennifer Ross-Nazzal<\/h2>\n<\/div>\n
NASA Human Spaceflight Historian<\/div>\n
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Jennifer Ross-Nazzal is the NASA Human Spaceflight Historian. She is the author of Winning the West for Women: The Life of Suffragist Emma Smith DeVoe and Making Space for Women: Stories from Trailblazing Women of NASA’s Johnson Space Center.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

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