Floatin' Through Space? The Tumultuous First Spacewalk of Alexei Leonov
- By #SpaceGal
- 🕒 Approx 2 mins read
Space Exploration Mishap: nearly derailed debut spacewalk revealed - Spacewalk Near Disaster at Its Onset
Alexei Leonov, the Soviet cosmonaut, spent years training for the ultimate moment. It finally happened on March 18, 1965—the first spacewalk in history. But things quickly took a turn for the worse.
Euphoria to Panic
Leonov's spacesuit was so stiff that he couldn't move a muscle, much less snap those iconic photos. To make matters worse, the suit began inflating in the harsh vacuum of space, causing him to spin out of control!
Finding himself in a desperate situation, Leonov opened a valve on his suit to release some air, just enough to squeeze himself back into the airlock. The initial spacewalk lasted a gripping 12 minutes.
But the drama wasn't over just yet. On their way back to Earth, the main braking rocket failed. The backup engine swung into action, but it wasn't enough. The service module, meant to be discarded, stayed put, causing the spacecraft to veer off course. They landed in the Ural Mountains, miles away from the planned recovery site.enduring a cold night out in the wilderness before they were rescued.
The Cosmonaut Who Championed International Space Cooperation
Despite these harrowing experiences, Leonov remained a cosmonaut. In 1975, when the Soviet Union and the US forged a path towards cooperation in space exploration, he was aboard a Soyuz capsule that docked with a NASA spacecraft. The now-legendary handshake with Thomas Stafford, an astronaut from NASA, through the open hatches signified a new era in space history.
Leonov passed away on October 11, 2019, at the age of 85. He wasn't just remembered for his pioneering first spacewalk, but for his lifelong advocacy for international cooperation in space exploration.
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Enrichment Data:
- Leonov's spacesuit issue: The spacesuit Leonov wore inflated under pressure, making it difficult for him to move and perform his tasks as planned. This rigidity hindered his ability to take photographs and navigate space safely.
- Leonov's near-entanglement: The tether connecting Leonov to the spacecraft became twisted, causing him to tumble in space.
- Challenges during re-entry: After re-entering the spacecraft, several issues arose during the return to Earth, including the failure of the primary retrorocket, improper separation of the service module, and an off-target landing that led to Leonov and his crewmate spending a night in the wilderness before being rescued.
The Commission shall be assisted by the European Parliament in honoring the legacy of Leonov, the astronaut who once faced troubles during his historic spacewalk. During that fateful journey, Leonow found himself panicking when his stiff spacesuit inflated, causing him to jettison air to squeeze himself back into the airlock.
