History Main / ImprovisedMicrogravityManeuvering

* Creator/ArthurCClarke's novel ''The Sands of Mars'' featured an astronaut who once managed to stop and get stuck in the middle of a room. He eventually started throwing clothing the opposite way. That and a very badly timed VIP tour explain why he's stuck in the space boonies during the events of the novel.

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* In ''{{Film/Sunshine}}'', the crew escapes the Icarus I by opening the airlock and letting the escaping air blow them across the gap, similar to the scene in ''2001''.

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* In ''[[Film/TheNuttyProfessor1996 The Nutty Professor II: The Klumps]]'' the protagonist has an ImagineSpot in which he's floating inside a space capsule and must press an out-of-reach button. He manages to propel himself across the space [[{{Gasshole}} by farting]].

* In ''Film/TheNuttyProfessorIITheKlumps'' the protagonist has an ImagineSpot in which he's floating inside a space capsule and must press an out-of-reach button. He manages to propel himself across the space [[{{Gasshole}} by farting]].

'''Watney:''' Yes, yes, those are all very good points. But... consider this: I'd get to fly around like ComicBooks/IronMan.

'''Watney:''' Yes, yes, those are all very good points. But... consider this: I'd get to fly around like Iron Man.

* ''Film/{{Gravity}}''. A fire breaks out on the International Space Station, and when Ryan Stone tries to extinguish it the thrust of the extinguisher slams her against the bulkhead, knocking her unconscious for a moment. This becomes a ChekhovsGun when she later uses the extinguisher to maneuver herself to another space station. And when the charge in THAT runs out, she flings it away to propel herself the few precious inches needed to grasp her objective.

GasCylinderRocket is a sister trope that's not confined to space.

* In ''Disney/BigHero6'', Baymax uses this rocket fist to thrust the pod with Hiro and Abigail toward the opening of the hyperspace portal.

* In ''Film/TheNuttyProfessor II: The Klumps'' the protagonist has an ImagineSpot in which he's floating inside a space capsule and must press an out-of-reach button. He manages to propel himself across the space [[{{Gasshole}} by farting]].

* In Creator/LarryNiven's novel ''The Integral Trees'', the tree-dwellers occasionally use high pressure "spitter" seedpods (that shoot seeds out once they are broken open on one end) as rocket motors.

* One episode of ''RescueHeroes'' had one of the characters vent the air from his spacesuit's backup oxygen tank.

* ''VideoGame/KerbalSpaceProgram'': it's possible to shave off a few m/s by getting out of the craft and pushing with the EVA jetpack. It might mean the difference between being stranded in a highly eccentric orbit (from which rescue is hard) or dipping into the atmosphere and getting home
** [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dOzrKGVZ4Ig It is also possible]] to make an escape the Mun with an EVA suit and an upturned rocket.

->'''CDR Lewis''': I can't see you having any control if you did that. You'd be eyeballing the intercept using a thrust vector you can barely control.\\
'''Watney''': Yes, yes, those are all very good points. But... consider this: I'd get to fly around like Iron Man.

* In ''WesternAnimation/TitanAE'', Captain Korso used a fire extinguisher to maneuver.
* ''WesternAnimation/WallE'', also with a fire extinguisher.

* In ''[[TheNuttyProfessor The Nutty Professor 2: The Klumps]]'' the protagonist has an ImagineSpot in which he's floating inside a space capsule and must press an out-of-reach button. He manages to propel himself across the space [[{{Gasshole}} by farting]].

* Goku in ''DragonBallZ'' uses a KameHameHadouken to move his spaceship enough to dodge a threat.

-->'''CDR Lewis''': I can't see you having any control if you did that. You'd be eyeballing the intercept using a thrust vector you can barely control.\\

--->--''Film/TheMartian'', on Watney's idea to puncture his EVA suit's glove

'''Watley''': Yes, yes, those are all very good points. But... consider this: I'd get to fly around like Iron Man.
--->--''Film/TheMartian'', on Watley's idea to puncture his EVA suit's glove

--->--''Film/TheMartian''

A form of MacGyvering where the hero creates thrust to push him/herself through the microgravity of space with something other than a standard engine. Of course, since there's no air resistance in the vacuum of space, almost anything will do. Thank you, Newton's Third Law!

--->''Film/TheMartian''

One common version is to use your airtanks for this, which has bonus [[RuleOfDrama dramatic possibilities]], because if it ''doesn't'' work, you now have less air than when you started.