Bruce McCandless III - Wonders All Around

PRAISE FOR BRUCE McCANDLESS II
AND WONDERS ALL AROUND

Bruce McCandless II waited eighteen years for his first spaceflight, marking him as an astronaut with seemingly inexhaustible supplies of patience and dedication. When he cruised serenely away from Challenger in 1984, photographed against the infinite cosmos, we stared in wonder at a fellow human slipping the bonds of Earth. An important and entertaining book, Wonders All Around gives us a complex, complete portrait of a brilliant and courageous American.

Tom Jones, Veteran Astronaut and Spacewalker,
Author of Sky Walking: An Astronauts Memoir

Bruce McCandless is the astronaut the world knows from an iconic photo that has become shorthand for space explorationand yet hes someone who few could name. Floating alone in Earth orbit, face hidden behind his spacesuit visor, his image was everywhere in the mid-80s. It was on my wall when I was a teenager, along with the usual music and movie posters. The movies and musicians came and went, yet McCandless stayed. It takes a talented author to bring old events to life, and his sons humor and candor makes me feel as close to knowing him as we could ever get. I almost feel like hanging up my old 1980s poster again.

Francis French, Author of In the Shadow of the Moon

When Bruce McCandless from my astronaut selection group made the first untethered space walk, photos of him became as iconic as anything taken on the moon. Bruce was a very smart guythe brain of our groupanalytical and very academic in his approach to work. So he wasnt a real jock, which unfortunately for him, as things were back then, meant he didnt get to fly for almost two decades. But NASA caught up to him with the shuttle program, and his years developing that untethered EVA backpack paid offflying it first made history.

Al Worden, Apollo 15 Astronaut

When we think of astronaut Bruce McCandless II, we think of the Poster: the iconic image of him free-flying in space that was a ubiquitous addition to every space geeks wall in the mid-1980s. This biography delves into McCandlesss very human quirks, moods, and more unheralded achievements. His story is told alongside his familys story, and underscores what it was like to grow up and live in the shadow of NASA. Wonders All Around is an evocative, sometimes surreal memoir of a man and his sons childhood, and essential for astrophiles.

Emily Carney, Space Historian

Wonders All Around, Bruce McCandlesss account of growing up the son of a real-life Buck Rogers, is at once a deeply felt memoir of fathers and sons and an engaging exploration of space and its mysteriesspace beyond the bounds of Earth and space between a suburban teenagers ears. With his eyes on the stars and his feet on the groundlike his astronaut fatherMcCandless has produced a wonderful, readable book.

Joe Holley, Author of Hometown Texas

In Wonders All Around, Bruce McCandless III has managed to open the lid on the extraordinary life of his father, Bruce McCandless II, in a way arguably no one else could. Thanks to his fly-on-the-wall manner of writing, we meet an extraordinary man who achieved so much in his life and yet seemed to balk at showing the world how amazing he really was. We are granted a window into his inner workings and get an expos into so much more than the man floating untethered in space. So outstanding are the accomplishments of Bruce McCandless II that we refer to his untethered spaceflight as just another of his amazing endeavors. Prepare to be astounded!

Dwight Steven-Boniecki, Director of Searching for Skylab

This book is a memoir reflecting the authors present recollections of experiences over time. Its story and its words are the authors alone. Some details and characteristics may be changed, some events may be compressed, and some dialogue may be recreated. Furthermore, some names and identifying characteristics of persons referenced in this book, as well as identifying places, have been changed to protect the privacy of the individuals and their families.

Published by Greenleaf Book Group Press

Austin, Texas

www.gbgpress.com

Copyright 2021 Bruce McCandless III

All rights reserved.

Thank you for purchasing an authorized edition of this book and for complying with copyright law. No part of this book may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise, without written permission from the copyright holder.

Distributed by Greenleaf Book Group

For ordering information or special discounts for bulk purchases, please contact Greenleaf Book Group at PO Box 91869, Austin, TX 78709, 512.891.6100.

Design and composition by Greenleaf Book Group and Kimberly Lance
Cover design by Greenleaf Book Group, Shaun Venish, and Kimberly Lance
Cover image courtesy of NASA, photographed by Robert L. "Hoot" Gibson
Author photograph by Patrick J. Cosgrove

Publishers Cataloging-in-Publication data is available. Print

ISBN: 978-1-62634-865-3

eBook ISBN: 978-1-62634-866-0

Printed in the United States of America on acid-free paper

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First Edition

Those who dwell, as scientists or laymen,
among the beauties and mysteries of the earth
are never alone or weary of life.

RACHEL CARSON, The Sense of Wonder

Fella, you dont start playin ball at your age. You retire.

POP FISHER TO ROY HOBBS, The Natural (1984)

Bruce McCandless and I were both members of the Class of 1958 at the United States Naval Academy. As an undistinguished graduate of that class, I always looked up to Brucenot only for his incredible intellect, but also for his character and integrity, which embodied the highest values of the United States Navy. The iconic photo of Bruce soaring effortlessly in space has inspired generations of Americans to believe that there is no limit to human potential.

FOREWORD

I grew up in the same fantastic time and place as Bruce McCandless IIIin the shadow of the Johnson Space Center in the late sixties and seventies. Bruce and I werent close childhood friends, but our paths crossed a few times. Because we lived in Texas, where all boys are required by law to play football, we proudly donned the blue and white of the Pop Warner league Comets. Bruce was a cornerback. I was a defensive end. We laced up our pads, fought for our turf, and even beat our arch-rivals, the Space Bandits. We went on to attend the same intermediate and high school, and, like many in our high school class, the same university... Hook em Horns! But it was really only after connecting on social media as adults that we became friends. Knowing my interest in space exploration based on some of my online posts, Bruce contacted me and said he was working on a book about his dad and NASA. When he asked if I would be interested in reading a draft and providing comments, I jumped at the opportunity. I think Bruce was looking for a constructive review of the technical details related to the NASA missionsan appropriate expectation, given that I went on from the University of Texas to an information technology career in the aerospace industry and he seems to have spent a lot of time writing sonnets.