Leonov Steps into Space: First Human Spacewalk

Alexei Leonov floated out of the Voskhod 2 spacecraft on March 18, 1965, becoming the first human to conduct an extravehicular activity in space. His twelve-minute spacewalk proved that humans could survive and function outside a pressurized vessel, but the mission nearly killed him twice. In the vacuum of space, Leonov's suit ballooned to the point where he could not bend his limbs or fit back through the airlock hatch. He was forced to bleed air pressure from his suit, risking decompression sickness, to deflate it enough to squeeze inside. During reentry, the spacecraft's automatic guidance system failed, forcing the crew to land manually in the Ural Mountains, two thousand kilometers off target. They spent two nights in deep snow, surrounded by wolves, before rescue teams reached them. Despite the near-disasters, Leonov's achievement proved the concept that would later enable all space station construction, satellite repair, and the Apollo lunar surface activities.