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Pilot-cosmonaut of USSR A. A. Leonov the first in the world to conduct a space walk
Twice Hero of the Soviet Union, a pilot-cosmonaut of USSR Alexei Arkhipovich Leonov was born on May 30, 1934 in the village of Listvyanka, Kemerovo Oblast, in a family of miner. Having graduated from Chuguev pilot military school A. A. Leonov served in the Soviet Union air force.
On March 7, 1960 A. A. Leonov became a member of the first group of Soviet cosmonauts. In 1965 the State Commission approved the candidature of Alexei Leonov for the position of the second pilot of ‘Voskhod-2’ spaceship.
On March 18, 1965 ‘Voskhod-2’ with cosmonauts Paul Belyaev and Alexei Leonov on board successfully took off from Baikonur Cosmodrome. In order to conduct a space walk ‘Voskhod-2’ was provided with airlock. There was developed a special spacesuit with a multilayer hermetic coat that maintained inside the spacesuit the excess pressure needed for the natural vital functions of a cosmonaut. From the outside the spacesuit had a special coating preventing the cosmonaut from heat radiation of the Sun. The spacesuits were provided to both cosmonauts so that the spaceship commander could give aid to his colleague conducting a space walk.
On March 18, 1965 at 11:30 a.m. Moscow time Alexei Arkhipovich Leonov conducted the first space walk in the world. He was outside the spacecraft for 12 minutes 9 seconds. He moved away from the spacecraft for 5.35 meters, at the full length of the tether which connected him to the spacecraft. During this time the cosmonaut was making observations and video filming.
However during the flight of ‘Voskhod-2’ and the spacewalk of A. A. Leonov there had been several emergencies. Due to hyper pressure in the spacesuit the cosmonaut was having trouble returning to the spacecraft. Moreover due to the malfunction of autocontrol system the landing of the spacecraft was conducted in manual mode.
On October 20, 1965 the International Aircraft Federation (Federation Aeronautique Internationale - FAI) recognized the world record of 12 min. 9 sec. as the longest human stay in space outside the spacecraft and the absolute record set by ‘Voskhod-2’ spacecraft for gaining the maximum flight altitude of 497.7 kilometers. Alexei Leonov was awarded with the ‘Space’ Gold medal as the first human to conduct a spacewalk. The pilot-cosmonaut P. I. Belyaev received FAI diploma and medal.
On October 20, 1965 the International Aircraft Federation (Federation Aeronautique Internationale - FAI) recognized the world record of 12 min. 9 sec. as the longest human stay in space outside the spacecraft and the absolute record set by ‘Voskhod-2’ spacecraft for gaining the maximum flight altitude of 497.7 kilometers above the Earth surface. Alexei Leonov was awarded with the ‘Space’ Gold medal as the first human to conduct a spacewalk. The pilot-cosmonaut P. I. Belyaev received FAI diploma and medal.
Lit: Алексей Архипович Леонов [Электронный ресурс] // ASTROnote. Б. д. URL: http://www.astronaut.ru/as_rusia/vvs/text/leonov.htm#01?reload_coolmenus?reload_coolmenus; Леонов Алексей Архипович [Электронный ресурс] // Герои страны. 2000-2013. URL: http://www.warheroes.ru/hero/hero.asp?Hero_id=863; Программа «Восход». Человек в открытом космосе [Электронный ресурс] // ASTROnote. Б. д. URL: http://www.astronaut.ru/bookcase/books/borisenko/text/07.htm?reload_coolmenus; Человеческое лицо космоса // Техника молодёжи. № 12. 2004; То же [Электронный ресурс]. URL: http://scifiart.narod.ru/Articles/TM_12_04.htm; Федеральное космическое агентство (Роскосмос): сайт. Б. д. URL: http://www.federalspace.ru/.
Based on the Presidential Library’s materials:
Outer Space: [digital collection];
The first artificial Earth satellite in the world is launched in USSR // On this day. 04 October;
World Aviation and Astronautics Day. The first human in space // On this day. 12 April;
Foundation of “Baikonur” Space Center // On this day. 02 June;
The first woman-cosmonaut Valentina Tereshkova flies to space // On this day. 16 June;