- Born
- Died
- Bruce McCandless II was born on June 8, 1937 in Boston, Massachusetts, USA. He was an actor, known for Max Q (1998), A Beautiful Sunset (2016) and Horizon (1964). He was married to Ellen Shields. He died on December 21, 2017 in California, USA.
- SpouseEllen Shields(? - December 21, 2017) (his death, 2 children)
- McCandless is famous and celebrated for having been the first astronaut to make untethered, free flights in outer space - twice. The mission was on the STS-41B Challenger, launched on February 3, 1984; and it marked the first checkout of the Manned Maneuvering Unit and the Manipulator Foot Restraint, two new designed gear for astronauts.
- McCandless was awarded a patent for the design of a tool tethering system used during Shuttle spacewalks.
- McCandless was one of the 19 astronauts selected by NASA in April, 1966. He was a member of the astronaut support crew for the Apollo 14 mission and was backup pilot for the first manned Skylab mission.
- He served as a naval aviator in the 1960s, and over many years was an experienced pilot in airplanes, helicopters, and jet aircraft.
- He earned a Bachelor of Science degree from the United States Naval Academy in 1958, a Master of Science degree in Electrical Engineering from Stanford University in 1965, and a Master's degree in Business Administration from the University of Houston at Clear Lake in 1987.
- [About making the first untethered space flight and referring to the famous line by Neil Armstrong, "That's one small step for man..."] It may have been one small step for Neil, but it's a heck of a leap for me.
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