Leonov and the Birth of the Spacewalk

On March 18, 1965, Alexei Leonov became the first person to walk in outer space! Leonov was part of the Soviet cosmonaut crew but was not actually the first one in space; another Soviet cosmonaut, Yuri Gagarin, launched in 1961. During Leonov’s travel, he was tethered and floated in space for about 15 minutes. On his way back in, he had to lessen the pressure in his suit and had to force his way back inside the airlock!

Also, fun fact: the difference between a cosmonaut and an astronaut depends on where and how they were trained! Astronaut is the universal term, and usually trained at multiple places in space flight, while cosmonaut is a Soviet/Russian specific, and trained at the Yuri Gagarin Cosmonaut Training Center!

To watch the recording of Alexei’s walk, click here!

Wanna chat? Email Loren Vale at lv090923@ohio.edu