October 11, 1997
Galaxies were colliding long before you were born, and they will keep colliding long after us all.
Floating Free in Space
Birthday · October 11, 1997
A little universe, just for you
Your date.
Ready to give.
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APOD published October 11, 1997. Full image credits are on the original APOD entry below. A publication-date match, not a photo taken on your date. Independent of NASA.
NASA astronauts can float free in space without any connection to a spaceship. Here astronaut Bruce McCandless maneuvers outside the Space Shuttle Challenger by firing nitrogen gas thrusters on his manned maneuvering unit (MMU). This picture was taken in 1984 and records this first untethered spacewalk. The MMU was developed because astronauts found tethers restrictive.