How does Professor Booster survive the Labyrinth?

Midway through Cave Story, near the end of the Labyrinth, there is a room with a single door placed across a large gap. After entering the room, Professor Booster falls from above and lands offscreen in the pit below.

If you jump down and talk to Booster, the Professor will die after giving you the Booster 0.8 jetpack. This will also make the game’s best ending inaccessible.

For the best ending, you need to jump over the gap and leave Professor Booster behind to fend for himself. Later Booster will appear alive and well in Mimiga Village with an upgraded Booster 2.0.

Is it ever explained how Professor Booster survives the Labyrinth if you leave him behind?

Solution 1:

I'm not able to confirm this at the moment, but I seem to recall text in the original translated script that implied that since you don't drop down there and he wasn't able to pass on what he knows and his work (the Booster 0.8) he rallied enough to use the booster tech to get out of there, either by finishing the booster or by using the parts of the booster which he then put back together and improved later.

It's less that Professor Booster needed assistance to get out and more that when you drop down there he passes on everything he can because he thinks he's a gonner, when he could have survived provided he still had access to the booster he gives you.