Former astronaut Bruce McCandless II, famously captured in a 1984 photo documenting the first untethered flight in space, has died, NASA said. You may not know his name, but you most likely have seen him in one of the most famous pictures ever taken in space. He travelled more than 90m (300ft) away from the space shuttle Challenger during the spacewalk. Scott Pelley reports on how officials are ensuring the inauguration will be safe. McCandless … NASA's Johnson Space Center said Friday that McCandless died Thursday in California. Copyright © 2021 CBS Interactive Inc. All rights reserved. Bruce McCandless, the Nasa astronaut who was first person to fly freely and untethered in space, has died aged 80. Updated on: December 22, 2017 / 5:39 PM Former astronaut Bruce McCandless II, a retired Navy captain and son of a Medal of Honor recipient who joined NASA during the buildup to the Apollo program, served as capsule communicator when Neil Armstrong took his historic first step on the moon and later flew in space twice during the shuttle program, died Thursday, NASA said Friday. Bill Harwood has been covering the U.S. space program full-time since 1984, first as Cape Canaveral bureau chief for United Press International and now as a consultant for CBS News. McCandless said he wasn't nervous about the historic spacewalk. Born in Boston on June 8, 1937, McCandless graduated second in his class at the U.S. The 80-year-old was a long-time resident of Colorado with deep family ties to … But it has also become a forum for conspiracy theories, disinformation and hate speech. No cause of death was given. McCandless II served aboard the aircraft carrier USS Enterprise during the Cuban missile crisis and logged 5,000 hours flying time in jet aircraft. Vice presidents since Vice President Walter Mondale have been living in the residence at the Naval Observatory in Washington, D.C. A look back at the esteemed personalities who've left us this year, who'd touched us with their innovation, creativity and humanity. This page features all the images we have concerning Bruce McCandless. McCandless flew a second time in April 1990 to help launch the Hubble Space Telescope. The Challenger crew also launched two communications satellites before returning to Earth, making the program's first shuttle landing at the Kennedy Space Center. An inauguration represents a grand re-opening of the American experiment. His recreational interests included electronics, photography, scuba diving, and flying. He died on December 21, 2017 in California, USA. During that flight, McCandless and fellow astronaut Robert Stewart pioneered the use of Nasa’s backpack device that allowed astronauts walking in space to propel themselves from the shuttle. The changes may seem minor, but advocates say they're meaningful. Born in Boston, McCandless graduated from high school in Long Beach, California. But as Joe Biden is sworn in as our 46th President, old grudges imperil the traditions of renewal. That’s me in the picture: Bruce McCandless, 47, in the world’s first untethered space flight, February 1984, Nasa find first alien solar system with as many planets as our own. HOUSTON – Former NASA astronaut Bruce McCandless II died Thursday at the age of 80.. McCandless, a retired U. S. Navy captain, was one of … “Bruce served his country with humility and dignity, and encouraged all of us to reach new heights,” McCain said. Senator also looks back at the many "firsts" of her career; her debates with her mother about optimism vs. realism; and the January 6th assault on our democracy on Capitol Hill. The world's most dangerous spiders (WARNING GRAPHIC IMAGES). In 2015, recalling his famous MMU flight, McCandless said his wife was in mission control, "and there was quite a bit of apprehension. Joseph Randall Biggs, 37, faces three charges for his alleged role in the deadly attack. McCandless' cause of death was officially ruled to be starvation, although the exact circumstances relating to his death remain the subject of some debate. He is known for his work on Max Q (1998), A Beautiful Sunset (2016) and Horizon (1964). Stewart became the second person to fly untethered two hours after McCandless. NASA confirmed the sad news and paid tribute to the space pioneer.. He received a B.S. NASA’s Johnson Space Center said Friday that McCandless died Thursday in California. I wanted to say something similar to Neil 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.' McCandless was selected for astronaut training during the Gemini program, and he was a backup pilot for the first manned Skylab mission in 1973. During his spacewalk, McCandless wrote: “My wife was at mission control, and there was quite a bit of apprehension. Correspondent Jim Axelrod talks with Cooper about her rise to fame, and what the future may hold for her, now that her object of mockery is leaving the stage. First published on December 22, 2017 / 3:38 PM. But he also wrote: “It was a wonderful feeling, a mix of personal elation and professional pride: it had taken many years to get to that point.”. NASA astronaut Bruce McCandless has died at the age of 80, NASA announced Friday. Bruce McCandless, First to Fly Untethered in Space, Dies at 80 Bruce McCandless using a nitrogen-propelled manned maneuvering unit in February 1984 for the first untethered spacewalk… Correspondent Lee Cowan looks into the legality and implications of tech companies "de-platforming" a user – even a president. Harris comes from a family of immigrants whose roots and political views shaped her. Bruce McCandless II: Max Q. Bruce McCandless II was born on June 8, 1937 in Boston, Massachusetts, USA. Washington Football Team Quarterback Alex Smith was fighting for his leg and his life in November 2018 after he suffered a gruesome on field injury. You may not know his name, but you most likely have seen him in one of NASA astronaut Bruce McCandless has died at the age of 80, NASA announced Friday. / CBS News. As it turned out, a spacewalk was not needed -- problems with the telescope's mirror were discovered later -- and Discovery's crew returned to Earth after a five-day mission. He was famously photographed in 1984 flying with a spacewalker’s jetpack, alone in the cosmic blackness above the Earth. You may not know his name, but you most likely have seen … Naval Academy. He was 80. California Privacy/Information We Collect. He was a furniture designer in Highpoint, N.C. and a Physics Professor at Highpoint College. Based at the Kennedy Space Center in Florida, Harwood is a devoted amateur astronomer and co-author of "Comm Check: The Final Flight of Shuttle Columbia.". Former navy classmate John McCain leads tributes to the man who made history with his untethered flight in 1984, Last modified on Wed 14 Feb 2018 21.28 GMT. President Donald Trump was recently banned from Twitter following his incitement of rioters, and his social media accounts on Facebook and Instagram were suspended. McCandless served on the support crew for Apollo 14 and was the backup pilot for the first mission to the Skylab space station. He helped develop the jet-powered backpack that allowed him to float away from the shuttle and safely back again. You may not know his name, but you most likely have seen … He was 80. That loosened the tension a bit.". HOUSTON, Dec. 22, 2017 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- Former NASA astronaut Bruce McCandless II, mission specialist on the STS-41B and STS-31 missions, died Dec. 21, 2017, at the age of 80. NASA astronaut Bruce McCandless has died at the age of 80, NASA announced Friday. Captain Bruce McCandless, the first ever astronaut to free-float on shuttle space walk, has died aged 80. He then transitioned to the space shuttle program. In an interview in 2006, McCandless said he had not been nervous about the historic spacewalk. No cause of death was given. McCandless died Thursday, and NASA announced the death a day later. Bruce McCandless, in full Bruce McCandless II, (born June 8, 1937, Boston, Massachusetts, U.S.—died December 21, 2017), American naval aviator and astronaut, the first person to conduct an untethered free flight in space.. McCandless was the son of an admiral and the grandson of a commodore. The satellites were returned to Earth, repaired and eventually relaunched. His father, Bruce McCandless, was a communications officer aboard the USS San Francisco who was awarded the Medal of Honor for heroism in the battle of Guadalcanal. The Central Idaho Dark Sky Reserve, draped over nearly one million acres of wilderness areas and the Sawtooth National Forest, is a major draw for amateur astrophotographers capturing the heavens. In part one of our two-part interview with the Vice President-Elect, Kamala Harris talks with "Sunday Morning" host Jane Pauley about her role in this unique moment in history. The Arizona Republican and McCandless were classmates at the US naval academy. Astronaut Bruce McCandless died Friday at the age of 80. During his first space flight aboard the shuttle Challenger in February 1984, McCandless carried out the first untethered spacewalk, using a nitrogen gas-powered Manned Maneuvering Unit he helped design to fly well away from the orbiter for a series of tests. He served as capsule communicator, or CAPCOM, during the Apollo 11 mission when Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin stepped onto the lunar surface. The former prosecutor, attorney general and U.S. McCandless was later part of the 1990 shuttle crew that delivered the Hubble space telescope to orbit. from the United States Naval Academy in Annapolis, Maryland, in 1958. Mr. McCandless served in the Pacific Region with the Army Air Force during World War II. He retired as a rear admiral. Astronaut Bruce McCandless, testing NASA's Manned Maneuvering Unit backpack during a 1984 spacewalk. "As an undistinguished graduate of that class, I always looked up to Bruce – not only for his incredible intellect, but also for his character and integrity, which embodied the highest values of the United States Navy," McCain said in a statement. A decade ago social media was hailed as an organizing tool for pro-democracy rallies, giving voice to the voiceless. Former NASA astronaut Bruce McCandless II, mission specialist on the STS-41B and STS-31 missions, passed away on Dec. 21, 2017. Former astronaut Bruce McCandless, the first person to fly untethered in space, died Thursday in California. According to NASA’s Johnson Space Centre, Mr McCandless died on Thursday in California. No cause of death was given… "There's no time to start like today," the new president told reporters, hours after his inauguration. That loosened the tension a bit.”. © 2017 CBS Interactive Inc. All Rights Reserved. I was just anxious to get out there and fly. In 1984 the astronaut Bruce McCandless, who has died aged 80, took the world’s breath away by becoming the first person to make an untethered spacewalk. USS McCandless (DE-1084, later FF-1084), 1972-1994, was named in honor of Rear Admiral Bruce McCandless and his father, Commodore Byron McCandless, USN. Correspondent Rita Braver talks with GOP Rep. Jaime Herrera Beutler, who joined with nine other Republicans to vote for impeachment. McCandless is survived by his wife, Ellen Shields McCandless, his son Bruce McCandless III, his daughter Tracy McCandless, two granddaughters, a brother and two sisters. The Arizona Republican and McCandless classmates at the U.S. Most news reports recognize that in 1984 he became the first to perform an untethered spacewalk, floating … He is survived by his wife, Ellen Shields McCandless, two children and two grandchildren. Following thousands of hours of rehab and help from the US Military, he defied expectations to make a return to the NFL, in one of the greatest sports comebacks ever. He also enjoyed cross-country skiing. He was 80. Ellis' appointment is now the subject of an investigation by the Defense Department Inspector General. Former astronaut Bruce McCandless II, famously captured in a 1984 photo documenting the first untethered flight in space, has died, NASA said. McCandless, who died on December 21, 2017, had a long and storied history in NASA’s space program.Before his famous spacewalks, he was … NASA's Johnson Space Center said Friday that McCandless died Thursday in California. OK, you've deleted Facebook, but is your data still out there? Newly elected to be the 46th president, Biden has had a long political career and a personal life filled with triumph and heartbreak. The American Kennel Club has released its latest list of the nation's most beloved breeds. Photos of McCandless, floating alone in the deep black of space above the brilliant limb of Earth became iconic emblems of the space shuttle program and among the most widely reproduced. Bruce McCandless died on 24 January 1968 and is buried at the Naval Academy Cemetery, Annapolis, Maryland. He covered 129 space shuttle missions, every interplanetary flight since Voyager 2's flyby of Neptune and scores of commercial and military launches. Bill Whitaker speaks with one of the three law enforcement officials who resigned in the wake of the attack on the Capitol, and reports on the threat behind what one expert says "may have been the most predictable terrorist incident in modern American history.". Former astronaut Bruce McCandless II, famously captured in a 1984 photo documenting the first untethered flight in space, has died, NASA said. Shows and movies you'll want to stream soon. "Our thoughts and prayers go out to Bruce's family," Robert Lightfoot, NASA's acting administrator, said in a statement. The flight boosted McCandless' total time in space to 13 days and 31 minutes. For 25 years he worked as a stress analyst in Huntsville in support of NASA. “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,” senator John McCain said in a statement. Bruce McCandless on his untethered flight in 1984. No cause of death was given. "He will be always be known for his iconic photo flying the MMU.". The Arizona Republican and McCandless classmates at the U.S. Former NASA astronaut Bruce McCandless II, mission specialist on the STS-41B and STS-31 missions, died Dec. 21, 2017, at the age of 80. Inauguration Live Updates: President Biden moves quickly to implement agenda, Watch Live: Inauguration Day events after Biden is sworn in, Biden signs executive actions on first day as president, Senate confirms Biden's first Cabinet nominee, Amanda Gorman reads the inaugural poem "The Hill We Climb", Kamala Harris won't be moving into VP's residence immediately, Biden extends student loan payment freeze, Recent Trump appointee at NSA placed on leave, Biden, in inaugural address, implores Americans to "end this uncivil war", U.S. allies "greatly relieved," but also wary as Biden steps up, Amanda Gorman makes history as youngest inaugural poet, Kamala Harris wears Black designers at inauguration, Trump defends his record and says "we'll be back" in farewell speech. Nasa’s Johnson space center said on Friday that McCandless died on Thursday in California. Bruce McCandless, the first person to fly freely and untethered in space, has died at the age of 80. In 1984, McCandless strapped on a jet-powered backpack and flew away from the shuttle, by himself, untethered, with Earth as a backdrop. After 20 years of trying, standup comedian Sarah Cooper became an overnight success when she started lip-syncing President Trump, stripping away his image and using only his words, in social media posts that became comedy sensations. He was one of 19 astronauts selected by NASA in 1966 to join the Apollo moon program. Naval Academy. He was married to Ellen Shields. How Washington is bolstering security for the inauguration; Then, former Capitol Police Chief Steven Sund's account of the Capitol assault; And, Washington Football Team QB Alex Smith's comeback from nearly losing his leg. He also served as the mission control capsule communicator in Houston as Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin walked on the moon in 1969. From the Marvel Cinematic Universe to the next "Fast and Furious" film, here's when to expect all the biggest flicks. 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