While in orbit 170 miles above Earth, Navy Captain Bruce
McCandless II became the first human being to perform
an untethered spacewalk, when he exits the U.S. space
shuttle Challenger and maneuvers freely, using a bulky
white jet pack of his own design.

McCandless orbited Earth in tangent with the shuttle at
speeds greater than 17,500 miles per hour—the speed
at which satellites normally orbit Earth—and flew up to
320 feet away from the Challenger. After an hour and a
half of testing and flying the jet-powered backpack and
admiring Earth, McCandless safely reentered the shuttle.

Bruce McCandless II
(June 8, 1937 – December 21, 2017)

William O’Connell, whose extensive TV and film acting credits in
the 1960s and ’70s included a memorably villainous role on Star
Trek and a string of adversaries in the films of his frequent
collaborator Clint Eastwood, died January 15 at his home in
Sherman Oaks, CA.

William O’Connell with William Shatner in Star
Trek Episode 39: Journey To Babel (11-17-1967)

William O’Connell
(May 12, 1929 – January 15, 2024)

Astronauts Eugene Cernan and Harrison Schmitt were last 2 individuals to walk on the moon as of today.

The U.S.-crewed spaceflight to the moon on Dec. 7, 1972, was
known as Apollo 17 — also known as the final flight of the
Apollo program.

This particular spaceflight included two historic astronauts:
Eugene Cernan and Harrison Schmitt.

These Apollo 17 astronauts would become — on this day in
history, Dec. 11, 1972 — the last humans to walk on the moon
thus far. 

NASA announced Thursday, Thomas K. Mattingly, a key
commander during the Apollo 16 mission to the moon,
died on October 31 at age 87.     

NASA administrator Bill Nelson said “Astronaut Mattingly
was key to the success of our Apollo Program, and his
shining personality will ensure he is remembered throughout
history."

Mattingly in Navy uniform.

Apollo 16

Nearly four decades after he became the first American to orbit
the Earth, Senator John Herschel Glenn Jr.was launched into
space again as a payload specialist aboard the space shuttle
Discovery on October 29, 1998.

At 77 years of age, Glenn was the oldest human ever to travel
in space. During the nine-day mission, he served as part of a
NASA study on health problems associated with aging.

The crew of space shuttle Discovery mission STS-95,
including John Glenn. On this flight, Glenn became
the oldest person to fly in space. NASA