Who went into outer space in 1965. Leonov's Rise: how Izvestia covered the first spacewalk. The flight ended on skis

On March 18, 1965, our country entered another milestone in space exploration. The two-seater Voskhod-2 spacecraft was launched into Earth orbit, which had the task of conducting a new experiment for humanity - human access to open space. The whole country followed this event. Cosmonaut Alexei Leonov was aboard the Voskhod-2 spacecraft for only 12 minutes, but these minutes became part of astronautics forever.

The brave Soviet cosmonaut, having climbed out of the hatch of the Voskhod-2 ship, took a step into history. He easily separated from the ship and floated to the side along the length of its halyard cable, which was connected to the spacecraft. Before returning back to the ship, the cosmonaut removed the movie camera from its bracket, wrapped a halyard around his hand and entered the airlock. Specialists from NPO Zvezda developed the Berkut spacesuit specifically for spacewalks. And the spacewalk training itself was carried out on board a Tu-104 aircraft, in which a life-size model of the Voskhod-2 spacecraft was installed. After some time, the Americans also made their spacewalk, but this happened on June 3, 1965, so Soviet cosmonaut Alexei Leonov forever remained the first person to walk into outer space.

On March 18, 1965, the first space walk in human history caused real shock and delight in the world. It is important to understand that this happened at a time when the USA and the USSR were very keenly competing with each other for supremacy in the field of space exploration. The flight of the Voskhod-2 spacecraft was regarded at that moment as a very serious propaganda success for the Soviet Union, as well as a blow to the national pride of the Americans.

Spacesuit "Berkut"

It is clear that for a person to survive in a vacuum, special clothing was needed, the development of which was undertaken by the Zvezda NPO. On your first flights Soviet cosmonauts were sent in SK-1 rescue suits, which weighed only 30 kg. They were equipped with an autonomous supply of oxygen in case of a possible accident, and also had positive buoyancy - in case the astronauts would have to splash down instead of landing. However, for spacewalks and active work fundamentally different “suits” were needed that would have protection against solar radiation and space cold, a thermoregulation system, a powerful life support system.

The Berkut spacesuit was created specifically for going into space; it was significantly different from the model in which the cosmonauts flew on the Vostok. To increase its reliability, an additional reserve hermetic shell was introduced into the suit. The outer overalls were sewn from a special metallized multilayer fabric - screen-vacuum insulation. In essence, the spacesuit was a thermos, which consisted of several layers of plastic film coated with aluminum. A special gasket made of screen-vacuum insulation was also installed in shoes and gloves. Outer clothing was supposed to protect the astronaut from possible mechanical damage to the sealed part of the spacesuit, since such clothing was made from very durable artificial fabrics that were not afraid of low and high temperatures. At the same time, the spacesuit became significantly heavier, adding weight and new system life support. This system was in a special backpack and included, in addition to the ventilation system, two oxygen cylinders of two liters each. A fitting for filling them and a pressure gauge window designed to monitor pressure were attached to the body of the backpack. In case of an emergency, there was a backup oxygen system in the airlock chamber, which was connected to the spacesuit using a hose.

The total weight of the new spacesuit was close to 100 kg. Therefore, during training on earth, the astronauts had to ride in a kind of “runner” that supported the rigid part of the spacesuit. However, in zero-gravity conditions, the mass of the spacesuit did not play any significant role. Much more interference was created by the air pressure that filled the sealed shell, making the suit unyielding and rigid. The astronauts had to overcome the resistance of their own clothing with noticeable effort. Later, cosmonaut Alexei Leonov recalled: “For example, to squeeze a hand in a glove, a force of 25 kg was needed.” It is for this reason that during the preparation of astronauts for the flight, great attention was paid to physical fitness. Every day, Soviet cosmonauts ran cross-country courses or skied, and did intensive weightlifting and gymnastics.

The color of the spacesuit also changed. "Berkut", in order to better reflect the sun's rays, was made white, not orange. A special light filter appeared on his helmet, which was supposed to protect the astronaut’s eyes from bright sunlight. The created spacesuit became a real miracle of technology. According to the firm belief of its creators, it was a product more complex than a car.

Voskhod-2 spacecraft

After the first successful flight into space of the multi-seat spacecraft Voskhod-1, the USSR set the next goal - to carry out a human spacewalk. This event was to be a significant milestone in the Soviet lunar program. To prepare for this mission new ship Voskhod 2 was modified compared to Voskhod 1.

The Voskhod-1 spacecraft contained a crew of 3 cosmonauts. Moreover, the ship’s cabin was so cramped that they were on board without spacesuits. In the Voskhod-2 ship, the number of seats was reduced to two. At the same time, a special airlock chamber “Volga” appeared on the ship. During the launch, this airlock chamber was folded. In this state, the dimensions of the chamber were: diameter - 70 cm, length - 77 cm. The airlock chamber weighed 250 kg. In space, the airlock chamber was inflated. The dimensions of the chamber in the inflated state were: length - 2.5 meters, external diameter - 1.2 meters, internal diameter - 1 meter. Before the spacecraft deorbited and landed, the airlock chamber was fired away from the spacecraft.

Since the Voskhod-2 ship was intended for two people, in addition to Leonov, there had to be another cosmonaut on it. One person was the navigator (he also went into outer space), the second was the commander who piloted the ship. Alexey Leonov was able to ensure that his friend Pavel Belyaev took the place of commander on his ship. Belyaev was 10 years older than his friend and met the end of World War II on Far East in the cockpit of a fighter aircraft, performing combat missions against Japanese troops. He was a skilled and brave pilot. Leonov was able to achieve his appointment even despite the fact that the doctors were very concerned about the leg injury that Pavel Belyaev received while performing a parachute jump.

Alexey Leonov

Alexey Leonov was born in 1934 in the tiny village of Listvyanka, located in Western Siberia(Kemerovo region). When he was 3 years old, his father was repressed. The Leonovs were branded as enemies of the people, while the authorities turned a blind eye to the fact that their neighbors plundered their property. However, Alexey is always reluctant to remember these events. Already in childhood, the boy discovered his talent as an artist, but still decided to take a different path. He graduated successfully military school and became a fighter pilot.

Soon after graduating from college, Alexey received an offer to try his hand at a competition to join the cosmonaut corps. Leonov managed to get a place in the detachment, he became one of its twenty members, among whom was Yuri Gagarin, who made the first flight into space in 1961.
At that time, no one knew how the human body would react to going into outer space. For this reason, all Soviet cosmonauts were subjected to very intense training. The tests were to show how far it would be possible to push the mental and physical boundaries of the capabilities of the human body. Alexey Leonov later recalled: “The cosmonaut had to be physically prepared. Every day I ran at least 5 kilometers and swam 700 meters.”

At one time, playing hockey was banned at the cosmonaut training center. This happened after several people were injured during this game. In return, the astronauts were offered volleyball, basketball and football. Flights into space subjected the human body to high overloads. Therefore, during training, candidates rotated in centrifuges - sometimes this led to loss of consciousness. Also, future cosmonauts were locked in a soundproof chamber or pressure chamber in conditions of prolonged loneliness. Such experiments were dangerous, since a fire could occur in the oxygen-saturated atmosphere of the chamber.

And such an accident actually happened in 1961. Then, during a training session in a pressure chamber, Valentin Bondarenko accidentally dropped a cotton swab with alcohol onto the closed spiral of a hot electric stove. As a result fireball literally swallowed him up. Bondarenko died a few hours later in the hospital from the terrible burns he received. After this incident, engineers began using ordinary air during training. So the path to space was not just thorny and difficult, but also fraught with real dangers to life.

Spacewalk

Even the spacewalk itself could have ended tragically for Alexei Leonov, but then everything worked out, although a sufficient number of emergency situations were recorded during the flight. During the Soviet era, they simply kept silent about this, but the truth surfaced relatively recently. Troubles plagued the crew of Voskhod-2 both during the spacewalk and at the time of landing, but in the end everything ended well, and Alexey Leonov is still alive to this day; the famous Soviet cosmonaut turned 80 on May 30, 2014.

At the moment when Alexei Leonov climbed out of his spaceship on March 18, 1965 and saw himself at an altitude of 500 kilometers above the surface of our planet, he did not feel any movement at all. Although in fact he was rushing around the Earth at a speed that was many times higher than the speed of a jet plane. A previously unseen panorama of our planet opened before Alexey - like a giant canvas, which was saturated with contrasting textures and colors, alive and bright. Alexey Leonov will forever remain the first person who was able to see the Earth in all its splendor.

The Soviet cosmonaut simply took his breath away at that moment: “It’s hard to even imagine what it was. Only in space can one feel the greatness and gigantic size surrounding a person environment - you won’t feel this on Earth.” Five times the cosmonaut flew away from the Voskhod-2 spacecraft and returned to it again. All this time, “room” temperature was successfully maintained in his spacesuit, while the working surface of the “Berkut” was either heated in the sun to +60°C, or cooled in the shade to -100°C.

At the moment when Alexey Leonov saw the Yenisei and Irtysh, he received a command from the commander of the ship Belyaev to go back. But Leonov was unable to do this for a very long time. The problem turned out to be that his spacesuit was greatly inflated in the vacuum. So much so that the astronaut simply could not squeeze into the airlock hatch, and there was no time to consult with the Earth about this situation. Leonov made attempt after attempt, but they all ended in vain, and the supply of oxygen in the suit was only enough for 20 minutes, which inexorably melted away (the cosmonaut spent 12 minutes in space). In the end, Alexey Leonov decided to simply release the pressure in the spacesuit and, contrary to the instructions issued, which instructed him to enter the airlock with his feet, he decided to “swim” into it face forward. Fortunately, he succeeded. And although Leonov spent only 12 minutes in outer space, during this time he managed to get wet as if a whole tub of water had been poured on him - the physical exertion was so great.

Solemn meeting of the crew members of the Voskhod-2 spacecraft - Pavel Belyaev (left) and Alexei Leonov, 1965

The second unpleasant situation occurred during the exit from orbit. The crew of Voskhod 2 could have become the first crew to die while returning from orbit. During the descent to Earth, problems occurred on board with the detachable service module, which led to the rotation of the capsule with the astronauts, who experienced very strong overloads. The tumbling stopped only when the cable connecting this module completely burned out, and the capsule with the astronauts was free.

The second error crept into the calculations of the MCC engineers, as a result of which the capsule with the astronauts landed hundreds of kilometers from the calculated point. The astronauts found themselves in the remote Siberian taiga. Only 7 hours after landing, a monitoring station in West Germany reported that it had detected a coded signal sent by the astronauts. As a result, the astronauts spent the night in the forest, waiting for rescuers. They had to leave the taiga on skis, but already there, on the “mainland”, they were greeted as real heroes and space conquerors.

Sources of information:
http://www.vokrugsveta.ru/vs/article/598
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/special/2014/newsspec_9531/index.html
http://www.calend.ru/event/5984
http://www.sgvavia.ru/forum/95-4980-1

On March 18, 1965, Soviet cosmonaut Alexei Arkhipovich Leonov made the first spacewalk in history.

This mission was a major milestone in the development of astronautics. The whole country was watching her!

Alexey Arkhipovich Leonov was aboard the Voskhod-2 spacecraft, which launched at 10:00 Moscow time. The commander of the ship was Pavel Ivanovich Belyaev. The ship was equipped with an inflatable airlock "Volga". Before launch it was folded, and in space it was inflated.

The spacewalk began on the second orbit. A. Leonov moved into the airlock chamber and P. Belyaev closed the hatch behind him. Then the air from the chamber was bled. At 11:34:51 Alexey Leonov left the airlock and found himself in outer space.

The first thing he saw was the black sky. The astronaut's pulse was 164 beats per minute, the moment of exit was very tense.

P. Belyaev transmitted to Earth:

Attention! The man went out to outer space!

The television image of Alexei Arkhipovich Leonov soaring against the background of the Earth was broadcast on all television channels.

Telegraph agency Soviet Union reported:

- Today, March 18, 1965, at 11:30 am Moscow time, during the flight of the Voskhod-2 spacecraft, a man entered outer space for the first time. On the second orbit of the flight, the co-pilot, pilot-cosmonaut, Lieutenant Colonel Alexey Arkhipovich Leonov, in a special spacesuit with autonomous system life support performed an exit into outer space, moved away from the ship at a distance of up to five meters, successfully carried out a set of planned studies and observations, and returned safely to the ship. With the help of an on-board television system, the process of Comrade Leonov's exit into outer space, his work outside the ship and his return to the ship were transmitted to Earth and observed by a network of ground stations. Comrade Alexey Arkhipovich Leonov’s health while he was outside the ship and after returning to the ship was good. The ship's commander, Comrade Belyaev Pavel Ivanovich, is also feeling well.

Alexey Arkhipovich Leonov spent 12 minutes 9 seconds outside the ship. In total, the first exit took 23 minutes 41 seconds. The Berkut space suit was developed specifically for the exit. It provided a stay in outer space for 30 minutes.

Due to the pressure difference in space, the suit swelled greatly and lost its flexibility. This made it very difficult for the astronaut to enter the hatch to return to Voskhod 2. Several unsuccessful attempts were made, but in the end everything worked out. Later there were several more emergency situations. However, despite them, the flight ended safely.

A. Leonov describes his impressions of what he saw in exactly this way:

I want to tell you that the picture of the cosmic abyss that I saw, with its grandeur, immensity, brightness of colors and sharp contrasts of pure darkness with the dazzling radiance of the stars, simply amazed and enchanted me. To complete the picture, imagine - against this background I see our soviet ship, illuminated by the bright light of the sun's rays. When I left the airlock, I felt a powerful flow of light and heat, reminiscent of electric welding. Above me was a black sky and bright, unblinking stars. The sun seemed to me like a hot fiery disk...

The first man into outer space marked new stage in the development of astronautics and science in general!

On March 18, 1965, at 10 o'clock Moscow time, the Voskhod-2 spacecraft with cosmonauts Pavel Belyaev and Alexei Leonov successfully launched from the Baikonur Cosmodrome. Immediately after ascending into orbit, already at the end of the first orbit, the crew began to prepare for Leonov’s spacewalk. Belyaev helped Leonov put a backpack of an individual life support system with a supply of oxygen on his back.

The airlock was controlled by the ship's commander, Belyaev, from a remote control installed in the cockpit. If necessary, control of the main locking operations could be carried out by Leonov from a remote control installed in the airlock chamber.

Belyaev filled the airlock chamber with air and opened the hatch connecting the ship's cabin with the airlock chamber. Leonov “floated” into the airlock chamber, the ship’s commander, closing the hatch into the chamber, began to depressurize it.

At 11 hours 28 minutes 13 seconds at the beginning of the second orbit, the ship's airlock chamber was completely depressurized. At 11 hours 32 minutes 54 seconds the hatch of the airlock chamber opened, and at 11 hours 34 minutes 51 seconds Leonov left the airlock chamber into outer space. The astronaut was connected to the ship by a halyard 5.35 meters long, which included a steel cable and electrical wires for transmitting medical observation data and technical measurements to the ship, as well as telephone communication with the ship commander.

In outer space, Leonov began to carry out the observations and experiments provided for by the program. He made five departures and approaches from the airlock chamber, with the very first departure being made to a minimum distance - one meter - for orientation in new conditions, and the rest to the full length of the halyard. All this time, the spacesuit was maintained at “room” temperature, and its outer surface was heated in the sun to +60°C and cooled in the shade to -100°C. Pavel Belyaev, using a television camera and telemetry, monitored Leonov’s work and was ready, if necessary, to provide the assistance he needed.

After performing a series of experiments, Alexey Leonov received a command to return, but this turned out to be difficult. Due to the pressure difference in space, the suit swelled greatly, lost its flexibility, and Leonov could not squeeze into the airlock hatch. He made several unsuccessful attempts. The oxygen supply in the suit was designed for only 20 minutes, which was running out. Then the cosmonaut released the pressure in the suit to the emergency level. If by this time the nitrogen had not been washed out of his blood, he would have boiled and Leonov would have died. The suit shrank, and contrary to the instructions requiring him to enter the airlock with his feet, he squeezed through it head first. Having closed the outer hatch, Leonov began to turn around, since he still had to enter the ship with his feet due to the fact that the lid, which opened inward, ate up 30% of the cabin volume. It was difficult to turn around, since the internal diameter of the airlock is one meter, and the width of the spacesuit at the shoulders is 68 centimeters. With great difficulty, Leonov managed to do this, and he was able to enter the ship with his feet, as expected.

Alexey Leonov entered the ship's airlock at 11:47 a.m. And at 11 hours 51 minutes 54 seconds, after the hatch was closed, the pressurization of the airlock chamber began. Thus, the pilot-cosmonaut was outside the ship in outer space conditions for 23 minutes 41 seconds. According to the provisions of the International Sports Code, the net time of a person’s stay in outer space is calculated from the moment he appears from the airlock chamber (from the edge of the ship’s exit hatch) until he enters back into the chamber. Therefore, the time spent by Alexei Leonov in open space outside the spacecraft is considered to be 12 minutes 09 seconds.

With the help of an on-board television system, the process of Alexei Leonov's exit into outer space, his work outside the ship and his return to the ship were transmitted to Earth and observed by a network of ground stations.

After returning to Leonov's cabin, the cosmonauts continued to carry out experiments planned by the flight program.

There were several other emergency situations during the flight, which, fortunately, did not lead to tragedy. One of these situations arose during the return: the automatic orientation system to the Sun did not work, and therefore the braking propulsion system did not turn on in time. The cosmonauts were supposed to land automatically on the seventeenth orbit, but due to a failure of the automation caused by the “shooting” of the airlock, they had to go to the next, eighteenth orbit and land using a manual control system. This was the first landing in manual mode, and during its implementation it was discovered that from the astronaut’s working chair it was impossible to look out the window and assess the position of the ship in relation to the Earth. It was possible to start braking only while sitting in a seat and fastened. Due to this emergency situation, the accuracy required during descent was lost. As a result, the cosmonauts landed on March 19 far from the calculated landing point, in the remote taiga, 180 kilometers northwest of Perm.

They were not found immediately; tall trees prevented the helicopters from landing. Therefore, the astronauts had to spend the night near the fire, using parachutes and spacesuits for insulation. The next day, a rescue force descended into the small forest, a few kilometers from the crew’s landing site, to clear an area for a small helicopter. A group of rescuers reached the astronauts on skis. The rescuers built a log hut-hut, where they equipped sleeping places for the night. On March 21, the site for receiving the helicopter was prepared, and on the same day, on board the Mi-4, the cosmonauts arrived in Perm, from where they made an official report on the completion of the flight.

On October 20, 1965, the Fédération Aéronautique Internationale (FAI) approved the world record for the duration of a person's stay in outer space outside a spacecraft of 12 minutes 09 seconds, and the absolute record for the maximum flight altitude above the surface of the Earth of the Voskhod-2 spacecraft - 497.7 kilometers. The FAI awarded to Alexey Leonov highest award — Gold medal"Cosmos" for the first spacewalk in the history of mankind, USSR pilot-cosmonaut Pavel Belyaev was awarded an FAI diploma and medal.

Soviet cosmonauts carried out their first spacewalk 2.5 months earlier than the Americans. The first American in space was Edward White, who performed a spacewalk on June 3, 1965, during his flight on Gemini 4. The duration of stay in outer space was 22 minutes.

Over the past years, the range of problems solved by astronauts overboard spaceships and stations has increased significantly. The modernization of spacesuits was and is being carried out constantly. As a result, the duration of a person’s stay in the vacuum of space in one exit has increased many times over. Today, spacewalks are a mandatory part of the program of all expeditions to the International Space Station. During the exits there are scientific research, repair work, installation of new equipment on the outer surface of the station, launch of small satellites and much more.

The material was prepared based on information from open sources

On March 18, 1965, for the first time in the world, a man entered outer space. It was committed by USSR pilot-cosmonaut Alexei Leonov during a flight on the Voskhod-2 spacecraft (March 18-19, 1965), on which he was the co-pilot, and Pavel Belyaev was the commander.

To allow a person to enter open airless space, an airlock chamber (code name “Volga”) was additionally installed on the multi-seat Voskhod spacecraft, which had a cylindrical design and consisted of 36 inflatable sections, divided into three groups isolated from each other. The camera retained its shape even if two of them failed.

The airlock was connected to the cabin by a hatch with a sealing lid, which opened inside the pressurized cabin either automatically using a special mechanism with an electric drive, or manually. The drive was controlled from a remote control.

For the astronaut to enter outer space, there was a hatch in the upper part of the chamber, equipped with a sealing lid, which could also be opened automatically or manually. Two movie cameras were placed in the airlock chamber to film the process of the astronaut entering and exiting the chamber, a lighting system, and units of the airlock camera system. A movie camera was installed outside to film an astronaut in outer space, cylinders with a supply of air to pressurize the airlock chamber, and cylinders with an emergency supply of oxygen.

The airlock chamber was located outside the rigid body of the spacecraft. When entering orbit, it was folded and placed under the ship's fairing. In space the chamber inflated. And after the astronaut entered outer space, before descending to earth, the main part of it was shot off, and the ship entered the dense layers of the atmosphere almost in its usual form - with only a small growth in the area of the entrance hatch. If the “shooting” of the camera had not taken place for some reason, the crew would have had to manually cut off the airlock chamber that was interfering with the descent to Earth. To do this, they had to put on spacesuits and, having depressurized the ship, lean out of the hatch.

To exit the spacecraft into outer space, a special Berkut spacesuit was developed with a multi-layer hermetic shell, with the help of which excess pressure was maintained inside the spacesuit, ensuring the normal functioning of the astronaut. The outside of the suit had a special white coating to protect the astronaut from the thermal effects of sunlight and from possible mechanical damage to the sealed part of the suit. Both crew members were equipped with spacesuits so that the ship commander could, if necessary, provide assistance to the astronaut entering outer space.

In preparation for the flight, Belyaev and Leonov practiced all actions and possible emergency situations during spacewalks during ground training, as well as in conditions of short-term weightlessness on board an aircraft flying along a parabolic trajectory.
On March 18, 1965, at 10 o'clock Moscow time, the Voskhod-2 spacecraft with cosmonauts Pavel Belyaev and Alexei Leonov successfully launched from the Baikonur Cosmodrome. Immediately after ascending into orbit, already at the end of the first orbit, the crew began to prepare for Leonov’s spacewalk. Belyaev helped Leonov put a backpack of an individual life support system with a supply of oxygen on his back.

After returning to Leonov's cabin, the cosmonauts continued to carry out experiments planned by the flight program.

On October 20, 1965, the Fédération Aéronautique Internationale (FAI) approved the world record for the duration of a person's stay in outer space outside a spacecraft of 12 minutes 09 seconds, and the absolute record for the maximum flight altitude above the surface of the Earth of the Voskhod-2 spacecraft - 497.7 kilometers. The FAI awarded Alexei Leonov the highest award - the Gold Medal "Space" for the first spacewalk in the history of mankind; USSR pilot-cosmonaut Pavel Belyaev was awarded a diploma and an FAI medal.

Over the past years, the range of tasks solved by astronauts aboard spacecraft and stations has increased significantly. The modernization of spacesuits was and is being carried out constantly. As a result, the duration of a person’s stay in the vacuum of space in one exit has increased many times over. Today, spacewalks are a mandatory part of the program of all expeditions to the International Space Station. During the exits, scientific research, repair work, installation of new equipment on the outer surface of the station, launch of small satellites and much more are carried out.