Alexei Leonov
| Alexey Leonov | |
|---|---|
Alexey Leonov in April 1974
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| Soviet cosmonaut | |
| Nationality | Soviet, Russian |
| Status | Retired |
| Born |
30 May 1934 Listvyanka, West Siberian Krai, USSR |
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Other occupation
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Fighter pilot, Cosmonaut |
| Rank | Major General, Soviet Air Force |
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Time in space
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7d 00h 32 m |
| Selection | Air Force Group 1 |
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Total EVAs
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1 |
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Total EVA time
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12 minutes, 9 seconds |
| Missions | Voskhod 2, Soyuz 19/ASTP |
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Mission insignia
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| Awards |
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Alexey Arkhipovich Leonov (Russian: Алексе́й Архи́пович Лео́нов; IPA: [ɐlʲɪˈksʲej ɐˈrxʲipəvʲɪtɕ lʲɪˈonəf]; born 30 May 1934 in Listvyanka, West Siberian Krai, Soviet Union) is a retired Soviet/Russian cosmonaut, Air Force Major general, a writer and an artist. On 18 March 1965, he became the first human to conduct extravehicular activity (EVA), exiting the capsule during the Voskhod 2 mission for a 12-minute spacewalk.
Leonov was one of the 20 Soviet Air Force pilots selected to be part of the first cosmonaut group in 1960. Leonov was a member of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union (the only cosmonaut that was not was Konstantin Feoktistov). His walk in space was originally to have taken place on the Voskhod 1 mission, but this was cancelled, and the historic event happened on the Voskhod 2 flight instead. He was outside the spacecraft for 12 minutes and nine seconds on 18 March 1965, connected to the craft by a 5.35-meter tether. At the end of the spacewalk, Leonov's spacesuit had inflated in the vacuum of space to the point where he could not re-enter the airlock. He opened a valve to allow some of the suit's pressure to bleed off and was barely able to get back inside the capsule. Leonov had spent eighteen months undergoing intensive weightlessness training for the mission.
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