SFA College of Sciences and Mathematics hosting evening of space stories

NACOGDOCHES, Texas — The public is invited to join Stephen F. Austin State University’s College of Sciences and Mathematics and Bruce McCandless III for an evening of space stories about his father, astronaut Bruce McCandless II, at 6 p.m. Oct. 14, in the SFA planetarium.

The book, “Wonders All Around: The Incredible True story of Astronaut Bruce McCandless II and the First Untethered Flight in Space,” was written by McCandless III and details pivotal moments in his father’s career, which spanned the Apollo era and the Skylab and shuttle programs. An Amazon best seller, the book was recently listed by Men’s Journal as a Top 20 Book to Read in 2021.

“You’ve probably seen the photo — that all-but-ubiquitous snapshot of an astronaut with a jet-powered backpack gliding along in the vastness of the cosmos, untethered and unafraid,” McCandless III said. “Other than that fantastic image, though, you may know very little about the man in the jetpack: Captain Bruce McCandless II.”

Some of McCandless II’s accomplishments include serving as a capsule communicator for Neil Armstrong’s Apollo 11 moon walk, repairing the damaged Skylab orbital workshop, performing the first untethered flight in space, and designing and deploying the Hubble Space Telescope.

The presentation is free to the public.

Learn more about the SFA Planetarium at sfasu.edu/planetarium.