March 18, 1965Reputable sourceWell documented
Alexei Leonov takes the first spacewalk
On the timeline · around March 18, 1965 ·
What happened
Leonov floated outside Voskhod 2 for about 12 minutes; his suit ballooned so badly he had to bleed air to squeeze back inside.
Why it matters
Working outside a spacecraft — the capability every station and repair mission since has relied on.
Sources
- European Space Agency. Alexei Leonov, the artistic spaceman · Reputable source