The Scariest Moments in Space
Two images are rapidly changing before your eyes: our vast planet and a dark void. The Earth picture is shrinking by the second as you fly away from the spaceship into an endless vacuum. You're unsure of what to do next. The International Space Station orbits 250 miles above the Earth's surface, and spacewalks are a regular part of the astronauts' work there. Astronauts have spent over 11,000 hours in the black abyss to this day. Thankfully, no one has ever drifted away into outer space without returning, as depicted in movies. However, astronauts face other equally terrifying dangers during spacewalks. One such incident occurred in 1966 when Eugene Cernan wore a jetpack to perform repairs in outer space. The jetpack, which helps control flight in zero gravity, became extremely hot. Eugene wore special metal pants to protect himself from the heat, but they failed to redirect it away from his body.
