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Manned Maneuvering Unit

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  • Manned Maneuvering Unit
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  • Astronaut McCandless testing the Manned Maneuvering Unit in outer space
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  • Bruce McCandless and the Manned Maneuvering Unit (MMU)
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The Manned Maneuvering Unit (MMU) is a backpack propulsion device that gave astronauts mobility for extravehicular activities outside the Space Shuttle. It enabled them to maneuver within the payload bay or fly some distance away without needing safety tethers anchored to the vehicle. The MMU had 24 small gaseous nitrogen thrusters and was operated with hand controllers on the arms of the unit.

On February 7, 1984, on Space Shuttle mission STS 41-B, astronaut Bruce McCandless tested this MMU, serial number 3. He made the first untethered spacewalk as he flew some 300 feet from the Shuttle. This MMU also flew on missions STS 41-C as the backup unit for the Solar Max satellite retrieval and STS 51-A as the prime unit for retrieving the Palapa communications satellite. Astronauts Bruce McCandless, Robert Stewart, James van Hoften, and Joseph Allen flew MMU #3 a total of 6 hours 29 minutes during these three 1984 missions. The MMUs were not used again.

NASA transferred this one to the Museum in 2001.

Display Status

This object is on display in James S. McDonnell Space Hangar at the Steven F. Udvar-Hazy Center in Chantilly, VA.

James S. McDonnell Space Hangar

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    Manned Maneuvering Unit

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    Manned Maneuvering Unit

    Object Details

    Country of Origin

    United States of America

    Type

    EQUIPMENT-EVA Devices

    Manufacturer

    Martin Marietta Aerospace

    Dimensions

    3-D: 84.6 × 71.1 × 127cm (2 ft. 9 5/16 in. × 2 ft. 4 in. × 4 ft. 2 in.)

    Materials

    Aluminum structure; internal electronics and metal components

    Alternate Name

    Manned Maneuvering Unit

    Inventory Number

    A20010176000

    Credit Line

    Transferred from the National Aeronautics and Space Administration

    Data Source

    National Air and Space Museum

    Restrictions & Rights

    Usage conditions apply
    For more information, visit the Smithsonian’s Terms of Use.

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      National Air and Space Museum

      6th St. and Independence Ave SW
      Washington, DC 20560

      202-633-2214

      Open daily
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      Steven F. Udvar-Hazy Center

      14390 Air and Space Museum Parkway
      Chantilly, VA 20151

      703-572-4118

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