Alexei Leonov

Alexei Leonov was a Soviet cosmonaut and artist who became the first person to conduct a spacewalk, during the 1965 Voskhod 2 mission.

Voskhod 2: A 1965 Soviet spaceflight that carried Alexei Leonov and Pavel Belyayev into orbit. Leonov performed the first spacewalk during this mission.
Extravehicular activity: Work or movement outside a spacecraft while an astronaut remains protected by a spacesuit. Leonov’s excursion established the first example of this activity.
Soviet space program: The state-directed Soviet effort to develop rockets, satellites, and human spaceflight. It selected and trained Leonov for the missions that made him famous.
Space art: Art that depicts spaceflight, celestial environments, or humanity’s relationship with the cosmos. Leonov made space and spaceflight recurring subjects in his own artwork.
First spacewalk: The first human excursion outside a spacecraft, performed by Alexei Leonov in 1965. Leonov’s defining achievement was this brief but hazardous excursion.
Space suit: A pressure garment and life-support system that protects a person in the vacuum of space. Leonov’s suit inflated in vacuum and became difficult to maneuver in.
Soviet Air Force: The aerial warfare branch of the Soviet armed forces, which also supplied early cosmonauts. Leonov served as a military pilot before joining the cosmonaut corps.
Cosmonaut: A person trained to travel and work in space, especially in the Soviet or Russian space program. Leonov’s career exemplified the Soviet cosmonaut’s role as pilot, explorer, and public figure.
Pavel Belyayev: A Soviet cosmonaut who commanded Voskhod 2 with Alexei Leonov as pilot. Belyayev remained aboard and helped manage the mission during Leonov’s spacewalk.
Spacecraft airlock: A chamber that lets people pass between a spacecraft’s pressurized interior and the vacuum outside. Leonov had to re-enter Voskhod 2 through its narrow inflatable airlock.

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