Lot 206

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The first untethered space flight: astronaut Bruce McCandless II using the Manned Manoeuvering Unit in space, February 7, 1984

Robert Gibson [Challenger STS-41-B]

Name: The first untethered space flight: astronaut Bruce McCandless II using the Manned Manoeuvering Unit in space, February 7, 1984
Brand: Robert Gibson [Challenger STS-41-B]
Price: 4000.00 GBP
Availability: SoldOut

Price Realised GBP 5,000

Estimate

GBP 2,500 - GBP 3,500

Closed: 28 Apr 2021

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The first untethered space flight: astronaut Bruce McCandless II using the Manned Manoeuvering Unit in space, February 7, 1984

Robert Gibson [Challenger STS-41-B]

Price Realised GBP 5,000

Closed: 28 Apr 2021

Price Realised GBP 5,000

Closed: 28 Apr 2021

Details Lot Essay Related Articles More from

Astronaut Bruce McCandless II using the Manned Manoeuvering Unit in space, February 7, 1984
Vintage chromogenic print on fiber-based Kodak paper, 20.3 x 25.4cm (8 x 10in), with indistinct NASA MSFC caption and 'This Paper Manufactured By Kodak' watermarks on verso

This lot has been imported from outside of the UK for sale and placed under the Temporary Admission regime. Import VAT is payable at 5% on the hammer price. VAT at 20% will be added to the buyer’s premium but will not be shown separately on our invoice.
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Lot Essay

“It may have been a small step for Neil [Armstrong], but it’s a heck of a big leap for me.” Bruce McCandless II

In this iconic moment captured by a 70mm camera aboard the Space Shuttle Challenger, astronaut Bruce McCandless II was captain of mission STS-41-B, donning a specialised propulsion unit (MMU) to move independently in space, entirely untethered from the spacecraft for the first time in history. The mission objective was to deploy two communications satellites and associated testing of computer programming. With over 300 hours of flight training, McCandless performed the operation with exceptional dexterity and calm.

Since the first NASA spacewalk by Ed White (Gemini IV mission) on June 3, 1965, spacewalks had been conducted while attached to a long tether serving as an umbilical cord between astronaut and spacecraft. With the MMU, McCandless was able to travel further from the spacecraft than any American astronaut before him.

The momentous occasion was not lost on McCandless. He had served on the Apollo 11 mission 15 years prior, as capsule communicator at mission control. Writing in 2015, he recalled his space flight and how "my wife was at mission control, and there was quite a bit of apprehension. I wanted to say something similar to Neil [Armstrong] when he landed on the moon, so I said, 'It may have been a small step for Neil, but it’s a heck of a big leap for me.' That loosened the tension a bit."