Voskhod 2
At 07:00 GMT on the 18th of March 1965, a Soviet rocket lifted off from Baikonur Cosmodrome. The Voskhod 2 spacecraft carried two men into orbit. Pavel Belyayev and Alexei Leonov sat in modified Vostok seats arranged at a ninety-degree angle. Their mission included an inflatable airlock attached to the descent module. This equipment allowed one cosmonaut to exit the ship for a spacewalk. The primary goal was to test extravehicular activity procedures. Engineers had removed the ejection seat to make room for two crew members. A solid fuel retrorocket sat atop the capsule for braking. No provision existed for crew bailout during launch or landing emergencies.
Alexei Leonov donned his Berkut spacesuit before entering the Volga airlock. He opened the outer hatch at 08:34:51 GMT and floated outside the spacecraft. His suit ballooned outward as pressure dropped to fifteen kilopascals. The fabric expanded so much that he could not bend his elbows to reach the camera shutter switch on his thigh. Leonov spent twelve minutes and nine seconds outside the craft between 08:34:51 and 08:47:00 GMT. He later reported being up to his knees in sweat inside the suit. Core body temperature rose by 1.8 degrees Celsius within twenty minutes. To re-enter, he bled off suit pressure below safety limits to flex his joints. Soviet state radio stopped live broadcasts when these difficulties began.
Leonov found himself unable to fit back through the airlock hatch due to the stiffened suit. He had to lower internal pressure to allow movement. This action risked decompression sickness known as the bends. Belyayev remained inside Voskhod 2 while his partner struggled with the hatch. Thermal distortion from the lengthy EVA made sealing the hatch difficult. The crew faced a critical decision about whether to jettison the orbital module early. They eventually managed to close the hatch at 08:48:40 GMT. Leonov did not report his low-pressure maneuver over the radio. He feared alarming ground control or his partner. A suicide pill sat ready for use if re-entry failed completely.
The spacecraft touched down in the Perm region of Russia on the 19th of March 1965. Navigation failure caused an automated braking system malfunction. The capsule landed approximately forty kilometers from the intended site near Solikamsk. Dense taiga forest surrounded the crash location west of Ural mountains. Temperature dropped to minus twenty degrees Celsius during the first night. The electrical system malfunctioned so that heaters would not work. Fans ran at full blast instead. The hatch blew open via explosive bolts after landing. Cosmonauts spent two nights and three days in the freezing woods. Helicopters could not land due to tree density. Rescue teams arrived on skis the next day.
Rescue parties chopped wood and built a small log cabin near the capsule. An enormous fire provided warmth against the cold. Supplies included warm clothes, boots, water containers, cheese, sausage, and bread. Leonov and Belyayev had survival kits containing knives and pistols. Belyayev grew up dreaming of becoming a hunter in Chelishchevo. Leonov spent time alone in wilderness areas as an artistic outlet. They skied four kilometers to reach a helicopter landing site. The cosmonauts flew first to Perm then to Baikonur for debriefing. A plaque now marks the touchdown spot with a 400-meter wooden walkway. Volunteers completed the path over approximately two weeks.
Soviet postage stamps commemorated the fifteenth anniversary of the spacewalk on the 18th of March 1980. Comedy Central's Drunk History featured Blake Anderson and Adam DeVine playing the cosmonauts in 2015. The Russian film The Age of Pioneers starred Yevgeny Mironov as Alexei Leonov. Public Service Broadcasting released a song titled EVA about this mission in 2015. The alternate history series For All Mankind depicted Voskhod 2 as the first crewed lunar landing. Kerbal Space Program game developers modeled inflatable airlocks after the Volga design. The capsule currently sits on display at the RKK Energiya museum in Korolev near Moscow.
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Common questions
When did the Voskhod 2 mission launch?
The Voskhod 2 spacecraft launched at 07:00 GMT on the 18th of March 1965 from Baikonur Cosmodrome. This Soviet crewed spaceflight carried Pavel Belyayev and Alexei Leonov into orbit.
Who performed the first spacewalk during the Voskhod 2 mission?
Alexei Leonov became the first person to perform a spacewalk when he exited the Voskhod 2 spacecraft at 08:34:51 GMT on the 18th of March 1965. He spent twelve minutes and nine seconds outside the craft before re-entering the airlock.
What happened to Alexei Leonov's spacesuit during his extravehicular activity?
Alexei Leonov's Berkut spacesuit ballooned outward as pressure dropped to fifteen kilopascals, preventing him from bending his elbows to reach controls. He later had to lower internal suit pressure below safety limits to flex his joints and fit back through the hatch.
Where did the Voskhod 2 capsule land after its mission?
The Voskhod 2 spacecraft touched down in the Perm region of Russia on the 19th of March 1965 near Solikamsk west of Ural mountains. Navigation failure caused an automated braking system malfunction that landed the capsule approximately forty kilometers from the intended site.
How long were Pavel Belyayev and Alexei Leonov stranded in the taiga forest?
Pavel Belyayev and Alexei Leonov spent two nights and three days in the freezing woods after their landing. Rescue teams arrived on skis the next day because helicopters could not land due to tree density.