The First Man to Walk in Space Almost Got Stuck Out There

TL;DR

Alexei Leonov, the first person to walk in space, almost got stuck outside his spacecraft due to a bloated spacesuit and had to risk his life to get back inside.

Transcript

The First Man to Walk in Space Almost Got Stuck Out There That lucky individual was Alexei Leonov, who was born in the Soviet Union on May 30, 1934. He was one of the twenty Soviet Air Force Pilots to be chosen for the first cosmonaut group. Originally, his historic walk was supposed to have happened on the Vostok 11 mission, but as that was cancel... Read More

Key Insights

• 🙎 Alexei Leonov was the first person to perform a spacewalk, but he faced numerous challenges along the way.
• 💠 The bloating of Leonov's spacesuit during the spacewalk nearly compromised his ability to get back inside the spacecraft.
• 🤗 After a successful reentry, Leonov and his crew had to overcome additional problems during landing and opening the hatch.

Questions & Answers

Q: How long did Alexei Leonov's spacewalk last?

Alexei Leonov's historic spacewalk lasted 12 minutes and 9 seconds.

Q: What were the challenges Leonov faced while trying to get back inside the spacecraft?

Leonov's spacesuit had become bloated and stiff, causing his feet and hands to pull away from his boots and gloves. He had to release oxygen from his suit and wriggle in head-first to safely reenter the spacecraft.

Q: Why didn't Leonov contact mission control about his predicament?

Leonov decided not to contact mission control because he knew he was the only one who could do anything about the situation and didn't want to worry the people on the ground.

Q: How did Leonov and his crewmates manage to land the spacecraft manually?

Leonov's crew discovered that the automatic guidance system wasn't functioning just before reentry. They had to orient the craft and maneuver themselves back into the correct positions in their seats rapidly to ensure a safe reentry.

Q: What problems did they face during landing?

The landing module and orbital module hadn't fully detached due to a communication cable, causing the spacecraft to spin uncontrollably. They experienced high G-forces and eventually landed in two meters of snow.

Q: How did the crew manage to open the hatch after landing?

The hatch was jammed against a tree, and they had to rock it violently back and forth to clear it. Eventually, they pushed the hatch away from the remains of the explosive bolts.

Q: How did Leonov and his crew survive the night after landing in the snow?

They had to strip naked, wring out the moisture from their suits and underwear, and separate the rigid part of the suit from the softer lining. They hunkered down and endured the night in a place filled with wolves and bears.

Q: How were they eventually rescued?

A rescue crew arrived traveling via skis and created a log cabin and fire to keep everyone warm. They traveled to a clearing where a helicopter was waiting for them.

Summary & Key Takeaways

• Alexei Leonov, a Soviet cosmonaut, was selected to perform the first spacewalk.

• During the spacewalk, Leonov's spacesuit became bloated and stiff, making it difficult for him to reenter the spacecraft.

• Leonov successfully managed to maneuver back inside the spacecraft after releasing oxygen from his suit, but faced additional challenges during reentry and landing.