Bruce McCandless II: Difference between revisions

{{Use mdy dates|date=JulyFebruary 20222024}}

| name = Bruce McCandless II

| image = Bruce McCandless II portrait.jpg

| caption = McCandless in 1971

Byron Willis McCandless<ref name="Wonders">{{cite book |last1=McCandless III |first1=Bruce |title=Wonders All Around: The Incredible True Story of Astronaut Bruce McCandless II and the First Untethered Flight in Space |date=2021 |publisher=Greenleaf Book Group Press |isbn=978-1626348653}}</ref> was born on June 8, 1937, in [[Boston|Boston]], Massachusetts]].<ref name="nmspace">{{cite web|url=http://www.nmspacemuseum.org/halloffame/detail.php?id=125|title=The first human to make an untethered, free flight spacewalk|publisher=New Mexico Museum of Space History|access-date=December 23, 2017}}</ref> A third-generation U.S. Navy officer, McCandless was the son of [[Bruce McCandless]] and grandson of [[Willis W. Bradley]], both [[Medal of Honor]] recipients. His mother changed his name on June 6, 1938, to Bruce McCandless II.<ref name="Wonders"/> He graduated from [[Woodrow Wilson Classical High School|Woodrow Wilson Senior High School]], [[Long Beach, California]], in 1954.<ref name="nmspace" />

In 1958, he received a [[Bachelor of Science|B.S.]] from the [[United States Naval Academy]], graduating second, behind future [[National Security Advisor (United States)|National Security Advisor]] [[John Poindexter]], in a class of 899 that also included [[John McCain]].<ref name="nmspace" /> During his professional career, he also received an [[Master of Science|M.S.]] in [[electrical engineering]] from [[Stanford University]] in 1965 and an [[Master of Business Administration|M.B.A.]] from the [[University of Houston–Clear Lake]] in 1987.<ref name="nmspace" />

| caption2 = McCandless using the [[Manned Maneuvering Unit|MMU]] (MMU) during {{nowrap|[[STS-41-B]]}}, photographed by [[Robert L. Gibson|Robert Gibson]]

This mission marked the first checkout of the MMU and [[Canadarm|Manipulator Foot Restraint]] (MFR). McCandless made the first untethered free flight on each of the two MMUs carried on board, thereby becoming the first person to make an untethered [[Extravehicular activity|spacewalk]].<ref name="nasabio" /> He described the experience,:<ref name=Guardian />

<{{blockquote>|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.<ref name=Guardian /></blockquote>}}

McCandless's first EVA lasted 6 hours and 17 minutes. The second EVA (in which [[Robert L. Stewart|Stewart]] used the MMU) lasted 5 hours and 55 minutes.<ref name=spacefacts>{{cite web|url=http://spacefacts.de/eva/astronauts/english/mccandless_bruce.htm |title=McCandless EVA experience |publisher=spacefacts.de}}</ref>

McCandless was married to Bernice Doyle McCandless (1937–2014)<ref>{{cite web|url=http://obits.dignitymemorial.com/dignity-memorial/obituary.aspx?n=Bernice-McCandless&lc=2379&pid=169151795&mid=5821509|title=Bernice McCandless Obituary|publisher=Dignity Memorial|date=January 14, 2014|access-date=December 27, 2017}}</ref> for 53 years, and the couple had two children: Bruce III (born August 15, 1961) and Tracy (born July 13, 1963). His recreational interests included [[electronics]], [[photography]], [[scuba diving]], and [[Aviation|flying]]. He also enjoyed [[cross-country skiing]].<ref name="nasabio" />

On September 30, 2010, McCandless launched a lawsuit against British singer [[Dido (singer)|Dido]] for unauthorized use of a photo of his 1984 space flight for the album art of her 2008 album ''[[Safe Trip Home]]'', which showed McCandless “free"free flying”flying" about 320 feet away from the Space Shuttle ''Challenger''.<ref>[{{Cite web |date=March 10, 2010 |title=Dido sued by astronaut |url=http://celebrity.uk.msn.com/news/gossip/articles.aspx?cp-documentid=154834589 "Dido|url-status=dead sued by astronaut"] {{Webarchive|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110714131424/http://celebrity.uk.msn.com/news/gossip/articles.aspx?cp-documentid=154834589 |archive-date=July 14, 2011 }}, [[MSN|MSN News]], Retrieved access-date=October 4, 2010 |website=[[MSN]]}}</ref> The lawsuit, which also named Sony Corp.'s [[Sony Music|Sony Music Entertainment]] and [[Getty Images]] as defendants, did not allege copyright infringement but infringement of his [[Personality rights|persona]].<ref>[{{Cite web |last=Pettersson |first=Edvard |date=2010-10-02 |title=Astronaut McCandless Sues Singer Dido Over 'Free Flying' Photo |url=http://www.businessweek.com/news/2010-10-02/astronaut-mccandless-sues-singer-dido-over-free-flying-photo.html |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20101004130837/http://www.businessweek.com/news/2010-10-02/astronaut-mccandless-sues-singer-dido-over-free-flying-photo.html "Astronaut|archive-date=2010-10-04 McCandless|access-date=2010-10-04 sues singer Dido over free flying photo"], ''Business Week'', Retrieved October 4, 2010|website=BusinessWeek}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2010-10-01/british-pop-star-dido-sued-by-astronaut-over-use-of-space-flight-picture|title=Astronaut McCandless Sues Singer Dido Over 'Free Flying' Photo|newspaper=Bloomberg.com |date=October 2, 2010 |via=www.bloomberg.com}}</ref> The action was settled amicably on January 14, 2011.<ref>''McCandless v. Sony Music Entertainment et al.'', Case No. CV10-7323-RGK (C.D. Cal.) (Docket No. 4 [Notice Of Settlement And Dismissal With Prejudice], filed January 14, 2011)</ref>

McCandless' son, author Bruce McCandless III, wrote about the journey leading to the first untethered space walkspacewalk in the 2021 book ''Wonders All Around: The Incredible True Story of Astronaut Bruce McCandless II and the First Untethered Flight in Space.''

[[John McCain]], who graduated from the United States Naval Academy with McCandless in the Class of 1958, stated after McCandless' death:<ref name=Guardian>{{cite news|newspaper=The Guardian|url=https://www.theguardian.com/science/2017/dec/23/astronaut-bruce-mccandless-the-first-person-to-fly-freely-in-space-dies|title=Astronaut Bruce McCandless, the first person to fly freely in space, dies|date=December 23, 2017|access-date=December 24, 2017}}</ref>

<blockquote>The iconic photo of Bruce soaring effortlessly in space has inspired generations of Americans to believe that there is no limit to the human potential.<ref name=Guardian>{{cite news|newspaper=The Guardian|url=https://www.theguardian.com/science/2017/dec/23/astronaut-bruce-mccandless-the-first-person-to-fly-freely-in-space-dies|title=Astronaut Bruce McCandless, the first person to fly freely in space, dies|date=December 23, 2017|access-date=December 24, 2017}}</ref></blockquote>[[Lockheed Martin]] later developed the [[McCandless Lunar Lander|McCandless Lunar lander]] and named it after Bruce , forhim. bothThis honouringhonored him as an esteemed employee of the company, and also the fact that the [[Manned Maneuvering Unit|MMU]] space walk which is is mostly known forspacewalk was facilitated by the jetpack developed by Lockheed Martin.