The deadly first spacewalk: How Soviet cosmonaut Alexei Leonov escaped death in space

On March 18, 1965, history was made as the Soviet spacecraft Voskhod-2 lifted off from Baikonur with Alexei Leonov and Pavel Belyayev aboard. Tasked with humanity’s first-ever spacewalk, the mission carried enormous scientific, personal, and geopolitical stakes. Amid the intense space race of the Cold War, every moment outside the spacecraft was uncharted territory, fraught with danger.

However, Leonov's spacewalk, lasting 12 minutes and 9 seconds, nearly ended in disaster due to unforeseen technical challenges and life-threatening conditions. What was meant to be a landmark achievement quickly became a tense fight for survival, capturing the world’s attention and forever changing our understanding of what humans could endure beyond Earth’s atmosphere.

As Leonov exited the Voskhod 2 spacecraft, he was tethered by a 5.5-meter cord. The vacuum of space caused his specially designed space suit to expand, making it difficult for him to move and impossible to access his chest-mounted camera. The suit's inflation posed a significant risk, as it could have prevented him from re-entering the spacecraft.

Historians Rex Hall and David Shayler note that Leonov’s core body temperature rose 35° in less than 30 minutes, pushing him to the brink of heatstroke. He later described being drenched in sweat inside his suit. Aware that ground control could hear him, he chose to manage the crisis alone. By carefully releasing oxygen to depressurize his suit, he could squeeze back through the hatch, though this carried the risk of running out of breathable air and developing decompression sickness. This risky manoeuvre was crucial for his survival, as remaining outside could have been fatal.

Once inside the capsule, Leonov and his fellow cosmonaut, Pavel Belyayev, encountered additional dangers. The spacecraft's automatic re-entry system malfunctioned, leading to a manual re-entry that veered off-course. The cabin pressure increased dangerously due to high oxygen levels, posing a risk of explosion. The cosmonauts had to manually control the descent, landing in a remote forest area surrounded by hazardous wildlife. They were rescued two days later.

Despite the life-threatening challenges, Leonov's spacewalk was deemed a success and marked a significant achievement in space exploration. It demonstrated the feasibility of extravehicular activities (EVAs), paving the way for future missions that required astronauts to work outside their spacecraft. The mission also highlighted the need for improved space suit designs and better training for astronauts to handle unforeseen challenges in space.

Following his historic spacewalk, Leonov continued to contribute to space exploration. He later commanded the Soyuz 19 mission, which docked with the American Apollo spacecraft in 1972, symbolising a thaw in Cold War tensions. Leonov also became an accomplished artist, creating works depicting space scenes, and served as a consultant for films about space exploration.

Alexei Leonov's first spacewalk was a groundbreaking achievement, his courage and quick thinking in the face of life-threatening challenges not only ensured his survival but also advanced human understanding of space exploration.