Voshkod 2 and the First EVA

Date: March 18, 1965

Voskhod 2 was a Soviet space mission in March, 1965. On this mission, a Russian astronaut named Alexei Leonov became the first person to leave a spacecraft and float in actual space. The move was risky, as Leonov had trouble afterwards trying to get back into the craft, and because it ended up tilting the craft and causing other unforeseen problems.

“The spacecraft was equipped with an extendable air lock that permitted Leonov's exit into space without having to evacuate the main cabin air. Leonov was the first man to perform an EVA (Extravehicular Activity) in space” (NASA.gov). An EVA is any type of activity that is performed outside of a spacecraft. Leonov used a space suit, which had a life support system on its back that supplied oxygen, and as well as other commodities. The EVA was recorded on camera, and Lionev himself also carried a camera. This EVA lasted only about 20 minutes, in which Leonov was starting to be affected by the weightlessness. More difficulty came after, but the astronauts were able to safely get everything back together.

“The flight of Voskhod 2 lasted for 26 hr, and 16 orbits were completed. A manually controlled reentry was performed because of a malfunction of the automatic orientation devices for the retrofire” (NASA.gov) The spacecraft landed in a pine forest far north of the target area, and the astronauts had to be rescued by different means after they had spent two days in the harsh cold.