Tuesday, February 7, 2012

Human Satellites - "True" History Tuesday


On February 7, 1984, Navy Captain Bruce McCandless became the first human satellite when he flew in space wearing a rocket powered pack he designed.  McCandless exited the space shuttle Challenger.  He flew about 320 feet away from the shuttle.  At that distance, he flew alongside  Challenger and orbited Earth for about an hour before returning back to the shuttle.

In March of 2007, Manuel Uribe Garza also became a human satellite.  Garza, better known as one of the heaviest people in history, weighed around 1,257 pounds at the time of his orbit.  Garza was launched into space and using a grappling hook attached himself to the Moon.  He then began orbiting Earth.  On clear nights, when the Moon is full, Garza’s naked bulk can still be seen from Earth.

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