On May 10th, the topic of #One of the Most Terrifying Space Photos to Date# trended on Weibo today, sparking discussions among netizens.
Reportedly, this iconic photo is still considered one of the most terrifying space photos to date. Astronaut Bruce McCandless II became the first person to spacewalk untethered to a spacecraft.
In 1984, he floated freely in space, flying solo for 6 minutes at a distance of 100 meters from the space shuttle, using a tool called the MMU, or Manned Maneuvering Unit.
"Just seeing it is chilling. Imagine drifting into the endless universe, never able to touch ground..." commented one netizen.
"If you drift away and can't come back, there's a high probability you'll never feel the solid ground beneath your feet again, never able to touch anything."
Public records show that Bruce McCandless II (June 8, 1937 – December 21, 2017), born in Boston, Massachusetts, was a former US Navy captain, astronaut, and engineer. He carried out space shuttle missions STS-41-B in 1984 and STS-31 in 1990, completing the first untethered spacewalk in 1984, with a total spaceflight time of 13 days and 31 minutes.
During the STS-41-B mission in 1984, Bruce McCandless II performed the first untethered spacewalk in human history using the MMU jetpack.
During this spacewalk, he echoed Apollo 11 commander Neil Armstrong by saying, "That may have been 'one small step' for Neil, but it's a heck of a big leap for me."
