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                           Astronomy Picture of the Day   
      
       Discover the cosmos! Each day a different image or photograph of our   
         fascinating universe is featured, along with a brief explanation   
                       written by a professional astronomer.   
      
                                    2023 May 14   
       An astronaut is seen hovering over the Earth. In the top part of the   
        image, the astronaut is seen against the darkness of space. In the   
       lower part of the image, the Earth is bright blue with white clouds.   
             Please see the explanation for more detailed information.   
      
                               To Fly Free in Space   
                            Image Credit: NASA, STS-41B   
      
      Explanation: What would it be like to fly free in space? At about 100   
      meters from the cargo bay of the space shuttle Challenger, Bruce   
      McCandless II was living the dream -- floating farther out than anyone   
      had ever been before. Guided by a Manned Maneuvering Unit (MMU),   
      astronaut McCandless, pictured, was floating free in space. During   
      Space Shuttle mission 41-B in 1984, McCandless and fellow NASA   
      astronaut Robert Stewart were the first to experience such an   
      "untethered space walk". The MMU worked by shooting jets of nitrogen   
      and was used to help deploy and retrieve satellites. With a mass over   
      140 kilograms, an MMU is heavy on Earth, but, like everything, is   
      weightless when drifting in orbit. The MMU was later replaced with the   
      SAFER backpack propulsion unit.   
      
                           Tomorrow's picture: red eagle   
        __________________________________________________________________   
      
          Authors & editors: Robert Nemiroff (MTU) & Jerry Bonnell (UMCP)   
               NASA Official: Phillip Newman Specific rights apply.   
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                         A service of: ASD at NASA / GSFC,   
                              NASA Science Activation   
                                & Michigan Tech. U.   
      
   --- BBBS/Li6 v4.10 Toy-6   
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