Manned Maneuvering Unit

Have you ever seen astronauts floating outside their spaceship, fixing things or doing experiments in space? Usually, they wear big and bulky space suits, and they have to be tethered to the spaceship so they don't fly away. It can be hard to move around in a space suit, and sometimes it's just too dangerous to do something with your hands while you're floating in space.

That's why they invented the manned maneuvering unit, or MMU for short. It's basically a little spaceship that an astronaut can wear like a backpack. It has small thrusters on it that the astronaut can use to move around in space. They can go up, down, left, right, forward, and backward, just like they're flying in a video game!

The MMU also has little hand holds and foot rests, so the astronaut can stay in place while they work on something. They can use their hands to fix things or collect samples, without being tethered to the spaceship. Plus, they can get a better view of their surroundings, since they can fly around and get closer to things.

Using an MMU takes a lot of practice and training, since you have to be very careful not to bump into anything or run out of air. But it's a really cool way for astronauts to explore and work in space!