On March 18, 1965, Cosmonaut Alexey Leonov made history by becoming the first person to conduct a spacewalk during the Voskhod 2 mission. Leonov spent 12 minutes and 9 seconds outside the spacecraft, connected by a 5.35-meter tether. This groundbreaking event marked a significant milestone in the Space Race between the Soviet Union and the United States.
However, the mission nearly ended in tragedy. Leonov's spacesuit inflated due to the vacuum of space, making it difficult for him to re-enter the airlock. He had to release some of the suit's pressure, risking decompression sickness. After struggling for several minutes, Leonov managed to get back inside the spacecraft, but the ordeal was far from over.
The spacecraft's automatic re-entry system malfunctioned, forcing the crew to manually orient the ship for re-entry. This resulted in them landing off-course in a remote, heavily forested area of the Ural Mountains. Leonov and his crewmate, Pavel Belyayev, spent two nights in the cold wilderness before being rescued.
Despite the challenges faced during the mission, Leonov's spacewalk was a tremendous achievement that paved the way for future extravehicular activities (EVAs) and demonstrated the remarkable courage and resilience of early space explorers. Leonov, who passed away in 2019 at the age of 85, will always be remembered as a true pioneer in the field of space exploration.
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