Embedded Files
Cosmonaut Aleksei Leonov became famous on March 18, 1965, when he opened the airlock hatch of his Voskhod 2 spacecraft while in Earth orbit. He remained outside for just over 12 minutes—the world's first walk in space.
Leonov set the precedence for what humans could accomplish in space. Although his 12-minute journey outside the spacecraft was riddled with danger and in fact, almost cost him his life, both Russian and NASA scientists learned a lot from the experience.
As Leonov left the spacecraft, his spacesuit ballooned in the vacuum of space. He had to vent some air from the suit to fit back through the airlock which was a risky procedure. Scientists learned that the spacesuit needed to be able to handle the change in pressure and hold steady while in space without puffing up.
Spacecraft location in the Museum
Spacecraft location in the Museum
Alexi Leonov's Training Suit and Airlock are on display in the Space Race exhibition at the National Air and Space Museum in Washington, DC.
Find it for yourself using our virtual tour of the National Air and Space Museum in Washington, DC.
Additional information
Additional information
Stuck in Space
Stuck in Space
His spacesuit contained physical restraints to prevent it from expanding when he entered into the pressures of space but this made his suit stiff and difficult to move in. When Leonov exited the spacecraft his suit inflated due to the uneven pressure systems which made moving difficult. In order to regain flexibility in his suit, Leonov had to vent the air in his suit to lower the pressure. The fact that Leonov’s spacesuit had an air pressure gauge and air release valve indicates that Soviet spacesuit designers had an idea that Leonov might have trouble during his spacewalk.
Leonov ran into further issues as he reentered the airlock the wrong way after he finished his spacewalk. Instead of entering the long tube feet first, Leonov entered headfirst, forcing him to flip around inside the airlock which was no easy task! In the end, Aleksei Leonov spent 12 minutes outside of the airlock, and an additional eight climbing through it. He returned to the Voskhod just as his ground link with the Kamchatka station (the Soviet's farthest east station) began to fade.
In Serious Danger
In Serious Danger
As Leonov left the spacecraft, his spacesuit ballooned in the vacuum of space. As soon as this and other problems arose, television and radio broadcasts of the event ended, which left most on Earth in the dark about Leonov's situation. The world would not learn until about 20 minutes later the malfunctions that nearly killed him and mission commander Pavel Belyayev.
Although this video has no sound, it is the actual recording of a portion of Leonov's spacewalk. The first human in space!
Page updated
Report abuse