RIP Alexey Leonov

[Itsallaguess]

Alexei Leonov, the legendary Soviet cosmonaut who became the first human to walk in space 54 years ago, has died in Moscow at 85.

The Russian space agency Roscosmos announced the news on its website on Friday, but gave no cause of death. Leonov had health issues for several years, according to Russia media.

Showing just how much of a space pioneer Leonov was, Nasa interrupted its live televised coverage of a spacewalk by two Americans outside the International Space Station to report Leonov’s death.

https://www.theguardian.com/science/2019/oct/11/alexei-leonov-space-walk-human-death-cosmonaut-russia


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 4.8-metre (16 ft) 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.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alexei_Leonov

Colourised footage of Alexey Leonov taking the first ever space-walk - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uAPBRvd8OTY

On the shoulders of giants....

Cheers,

Itsallaguess

[kiloran]

<pedant mode>
I reckon Armstrong was the first to actually walk in space.

Leonov was the first to float in space.

</pedant mode>

[Itsallaguess]

<pedant mode>

I reckon Armstrong was the first to actually walk in space.

Leonov was the first to float in space.

</pedant mode>

Didn't he walk on the moon though?

If you step across your room, are you walking in space?

Wikipedia seems to clearly distinguish between a spacewalk and a moonwalk -

Extravehicular activity (EVA) is any activity done by an astronaut or cosmonaut outside a spacecraft beyond the Earth's appreciable atmosphere. The term most commonly applies to a spacewalk made outside a craft orbiting Earth (such as the International Space Station).

On March 18, 1965, Alexei Leonov became the first human to perform a spacewalk, exiting the capsule during the Voskhod 2 mission for 12 minutes and 9 seconds.

The term also applied to lunar surface exploration (commonly known as moonwalks) performed by six pairs of American astronauts in the Apollo program from 1969 to 1972. On July 21, 1969, Neil Armstrong became the first human to perform a moonwalk, outside his lunar lander on Apollo 11 for 2 hours and 31 minutes.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Extravehicular_activity

Cheers,

Itsallaguess

[sunnyjoe]

A feature film about him and his exploits was released in 2017. "Spacewalk" or "Spacewalker" is in Russian with subtitles. It's quite good and available on Amazon Prime Video
https://www.imdb.com/title/tt6673840/

[XFool]

Alexei Leonov: The Russian who could have been first to the Moon
By Paul Rincon

BBC News

Pioneering cosmonaut Alexei Arkhipovich Leonov died on Friday in Moscow aged 85. With his passing, the world has lost another direct connection to the Cold War space race of the 1960s and 70s.

[TheMotorcycleBoy]

<pedant mode>

I reckon Armstrong was the first to actually walk in space.

Leonov was the first to float in space.

</pedant mode>

Didn't he walk on the moon though?

Don't forget that many other people were doing the Moon walk a long while prior to Neil's remix of the whole thing.

For example right here back in the 1930s.

[BrummieDave]

Extravehicular activity (EVA) is any activity done by an astronaut or cosmonaut outside a spacecraft beyond the Earth's appreciable atmosphere. The term most commonly applies to a spacewalk made outside a craft orbiting Earth (such as the International Space Station).

On March 18, 1965, Alexei Leonov became the first human to perform a spacewalk, exiting the capsule during the Voskhod 2 mission for 12 minutes and 9 seconds.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Extravehicular_activity

Cheers,

Itsallaguess

I've previously posted about 'Public Service Broadcasting', a London based band who write and perform their own music against archive audio and video recordings, and very good they are too IMHO.

Their 2015 album 'The Race for Space' chronicles the competitive space programmes played out by the USA and USSR during the cold war, with each track focussing on a key development from the 1960s and early 1970s. The first track features President Kennedy's 1962 speech, and the album ends with an optimistic view of the future following the final Apollo mission in 1972. It's highly nostalgic and enjoyable if you like space programmes and instrumental music.

Track 5 is "E.V.A." and commemorates Alexey Leonov's space walk from Voskhod 2, with this You Tube video showing archive video of the spacewalk as the track plays. Given the risks involved, he seems very ambitious and carefree in his stunts outside of the spacecraft! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PFSq4Q8WDs0

I have seen PSB several times, including three performances of this full album played as one piece, most appropriately perhaps outdoor at Jodrell Bank, and most recently at the Royal Albert Hall as part of the BBC Proms this July to commemorate the 50th anniversary of the first moon landing. I hope you enjoy the track and are possibly interested enough to listen to the 'Race for Space' album on Spotify or similar.