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CAPTAIN BRUCE McCANDLESS II ’58, USN (RET.)

“I am deeply moved by my classmates’ efforts in nominating me and advancing my nomination for the Distinguished Graduate Award.”

aptain Bruce McCandless II ’58, USN during which he made the first untethered C(Ret.), the first human to fly untethered solo flight. This earned him the Department in space, led the way to on-orbit servicing of Defense Superior Service Medal and of satellites such as the Solar Maximum the NASA Exceptional Engineering Mission, the Hubble Space Telescope and, Achievement Award. In 1985, he received ultimately, the International Space Station. the National Aeronautic Association Collier McCandless was born in Boston to Trophy and the first Smithsonian National a well-known Navy family. Two ships, Air and Space Museum Trophy. He was BRADLEY and MCCANDLESS , are named inducted into the NASA Astronaut Hall in honor of his grandfathers and father. of Fame in 2005. The third generation to attend the Naval He served a leadership role in the design Academy, he graduated at the top of his and development of the Hubble Space class academically. Telescope and was a member of the space He served in Fighter Squadron 102 shuttle crew that deployed the telescope from 1960 to 1964 in three deployments into orbit in 1990. Captain McCandless with the Sixth Fleet, including the Cuban also holds a patent for a “drop-proof” tool Missile Crisis naval blockade, during which tethering system still used in space today. he flew night missions off Cuba to protect After a 32-year career with the Navy and U.S. efforts to verify the presence of Soviet NASA, he worked in the aerospace industry, long-range missiles. retiring from Lockheed Martin in 2005. A Captain McCandless earned a master’s lifetime member of the Alumni Association, in electrical engineering from Stanford, his support of the Academy continues where his doctoral work ended with his with his recent submittal of an unsolicited selection as an astronaut in 1966. Captain proposal to the Academic Dean for a McCandless provided ground support to midshipmen project to design, build and APOLLO missions 10, 11 and 14. For APOLLO 11, operate a remotely operated underwater he was given the critical task of controlling vehicle as part of a national competition the communications voice link between among universities. Captain McCandless is Mission Control and the astronauts during providing mentoring and advising services Buzz Aldrin’s and Neil Armstrong’s pro bono for the duration of the project. exploration of the lunar surface. Captain McCandless now lives in Captain McCandless made his historic Conifer, CO. He and his wife, Bernice, have space flight as a mission specialist on two children and two grandchildren. CHALLENGER STS 41-B in February 1984,

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