Astronaut Bruce McCandless II approaches his maximum distance from the Earth-orbiting Space Shuttle Challenger in this 70mm photo from Feb. 7, 1984. While
I remember being like 7 or 8 and going to a big science museum, I cant remember which. It had a mock up of this space suit that you could get in and control. It had this picture next to the exhibit and it terrified me. All i kept thinking was what if the propellant leaks or runs out, he would be floating away forever. Really cool exhibit though, made me want to go to space camp.
Stuck in orbit until passing out is kind of a serene way to go.
More nightmarish might be in VLEO where instead he felt a curious tugging on different parts of his suit, as the atmosphere dragged him below orbital velocity. The turbulence would gradually get more severe, tumbling him violently like a rock rolling downhill. If he survives the turbulence, in his last moments he might see the first visual indications of adiabatic heat penetrating his suit, before he begins to come apart in orbit, one piece at a time.
I remember being like 7 or 8 and going to a big science museum, I cant remember which. It had a mock up of this space suit that you could get in and control. It had this picture next to the exhibit and it terrified me. All i kept thinking was what if the propellant leaks or runs out, he would be floating away forever. Really cool exhibit though, made me want to go to space camp.
Stuck in orbit until passing out is kind of a serene way to go.
More nightmarish might be in VLEO where instead he felt a curious tugging on different parts of his suit, as the atmosphere dragged him below orbital velocity. The turbulence would gradually get more severe, tumbling him violently like a rock rolling downhill. If he survives the turbulence, in his last moments he might see the first visual indications of adiabatic heat penetrating his suit, before he begins to come apart in orbit, one piece at a time.