First flight with spacewalk. History of space exploration

In preparation for the flight, Belyaev and Leonov practiced all actions and possible emergency situations when entering open space 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.

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 Alexey Leonov in open space is outside spaceship 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 manual landing, 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 Alexey Leonov the 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 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 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

Alexey Leonov

March 18, 1965 Soviet cosmonaut Alexey Arkhipovich Leonov walked into outer space for the first time from the Voskhod-2 spacecraft. Most first spacewalk in human history lasted only 12 minutes and 9 seconds. During Leonov's first spacewalk, an emergency situation arose: the cosmonaut's spacesuit swelled and prevented him from returning to the spacecraft through a special airlock. Leonov reduced the pressure in the suit and was able to squeeze back into the spacecraft. For this flight, which ended with an abnormal landing in the Perm taiga, Leonov was awarded the title of “Hero Soviet Union"and were awarded the Order of Lenin and the Gold Star medal.

Alexey Leonov was born in 1934 in Kuzbass. He took part in the Soyuz-Apollo space program and was awarded orders and medals. Leonov was also a candidate for the first Soviet flight to the Moon, which, however, never took place. He is interested in painting; created several designs for postage stamps. During the life of this legendary cosmonaut, city streets were named after him. Going into outer space is still a responsible and risky undertaking.

Today is December 14, 2019. Do you know what holiday is today?

This is not fantasy - it is a necessity, and why more people will fly in space, the more this need will be felt." These words were spoken by the legendary Chief Designer Sergei Pavlovich Korolev at the very beginning space age, were certainly prophetic. Since then, dozens of people have already been enslaved in outer space, who have had to convince themselves many times of the truth of these words.

No room for error

The first step towards the development of open space was taken exactly 40 years ago - on March 18, 1965, pilot-cosmonaut Alexei Arkhipovich Leonov was the first earthling to step outside the spaceship. At this stage of space exploration, the daredevils who dared to leave the cozy earth's surface, could only rely on themselves and the equipment that flew away with them. There were no rescue systems in space at that time - it was impossible to dock, and it was impossible, after leaving one ship, to cross through airless space to another, rescue one. They made the equipment as reliable as possible and tried to provide for everything, but emergencies still happened. To ensure safety and increase the efficiency of long-term flights, it was necessary to develop a rescue system and organize the possibility of astronauts going overboard the ship. Konstantin Eduardovich Tsiolkovsky, who was the first to propose using a special airlock chamber for spacewalks, dreamed of such an opportunity.

Both the USA and the USSR were preparing to enter open airless space, but Soviet scientists were the first to accomplish this task, unprecedented at that time. After 6 single-seat Vostok spacecraft were in orbit (including Vostok-6 in June 1963 with the first female cosmonaut Valentina Tereshkova), the design bureau under the leadership of S.P. The Queen began to create a new three-seater ship, Voskhod. Simultaneously with the preparation of the flight of a crew of three (it was carried out on October 12-13, 1964 by V. Komarov, K. Feoktistov and B. Egorov) on the basis of Voskhod, it was decided to create a two-seater ship for a person to go into open airless space. At the same time, the space freed up after the removal of the third chair was used to put on a spacesuit and organize the entrance to the airlock chamber, which was embedded in the main hatch of the ship.

At first, it was planned to “conduct an experiment to depressurize a container with an animal enclosed in a spacesuit. After depressurization, the animal will be pushed out (or will make an independent exit) from the spacecraft, followed by a return to the ship and landing together with the ship.” But they decided to abandon such a step, and not only because an experiment with an animal would require the development of a special spacesuit and other complex equipment. An animal going into outer space would not answer the main question: will a person be able to navigate and move in such an unusual environment - after all, you cannot warn an animal about what awaits it, and it will not later tell about its impressions and sensations.

The design team of the design bureau received the task of developing technical means, ensuring the exit of a person from the Voskhod spacecraft. To do this, experts analyzed several exit options. The easiest way was to use the hatch, which served to board the crew into the ship. But the air loss would be too great, and many instruments in the ship’s cabin would have to be sealed.

As a result of the development of various technical solutions, preference was given to the option with an airlock chamber, which is a small space isolated on all sides, where an astronaut dressed in a spacesuit is temporarily located while all the air surrounding him is gradually released, after which the hatch opens to the outside. Return to the ship takes place at reverse order- the airlock chamber, closed from the inside and outside, is filled with air, after which the internal hatch opens and the astronaut finds himself inside the ship.

The chamber itself was inflatable and located outside the rigid body of the spacecraft. When entering orbit, it was folded and placed under the ship's fairing. And after going into 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. Tests carried out in advance on Cosmos 110 showed that the ballistics of the descent compartment were not affected due to the remains of the airlock chamber. If the “shooting” of the camera did not take place for some reason, the crew would have to put on their space suits again and, having depressurized the ship and leaning out into the hatch, manually cut off the airlock chamber that was interfering with the descent to Earth.

"Walking Suit"

It is clear that in order to survive in a vacuum, special clothing was needed, and NPO Zvezda took on its development. On their first flights, the cosmonauts were sent out in SK-1 rescue suits, weighing only 30 kg, with an autonomous supply of oxygen in case of an accident and so-called positive buoyancy - in case a splashdown occurs instead of landing. But to go into space and actively work there, fundamentally different “suits” were needed, with a more powerful life support system, thermoregulation and protection from solar radiation and space cold.

The Berkut spacesuit, in which the cosmonauts trained and went into outer space, was significantly different from the one in which they flew on the Vostok. To increase reliability, an additional backup hermetic shell was introduced. The outer overalls were sewn from multilayer metallized fabric - screen-vacuum insulation. In essence, it was a thermos, consisting of several layers of plastic film coated with aluminum. Gaskets made of screen-vacuum insulation were also installed in gloves and shoes. Outer clothing also protected the astronaut from possible mechanical damage to the sealed part of the spacesuit, since it was made from very durable artificial fabrics that are not afraid of high and low temperatures. The suit became noticeably heavier - the life support system also added weight. It was placed in a back pack and included, in addition to the ventilation system, two more 2-liter oxygen cylinders. A fitting for filling them and a pressure gauge window for monitoring the pressure were attached to the body of the backpack. In case of an emergency, the airlock chamber had a backup oxygen system connected to the spacesuit using a hose.

The total weight of the “exit suit” approached 100 kg, and during training on earth, the astronauts had to ride in a kind of “runner” that supported the rigid part of the spacesuit. But in zero gravity the mass of the spacesuit did not play significant role. Much more interference was created by the air pressure filling the sealed shell, making the suit rigid and unyielding. The astronauts had to forcefully overcome the resistance of their own clothing. Alexey Leonov recalled: “In order, for example, to squeeze a hand in a glove, an effort of 25 kilograms was required.” Therefore, during preparation for the flight, physical fitness was given special meaning: The astronauts did daily cross-country or ski runs, and did intense gymnastics and weightlifting.

The color of the suit also changed: to better reflect the sun's rays, it changed from orange to white. A light filter appeared on the helmet to protect from bright sunlight. In a word, a modern spacesuit is a real miracle of technology and, in the firm opinion of the designers, “a machine more complex than a car.”

Ground training

Simultaneously with the start of modifications to the Voskhod spacecraft, two crews of cosmonauts began preparing for the flight: Alexey Leonov with Pavel Belyaev and their backups, Viktor Gorbatko and Evgeny Khrunov. Leonov recalled: “At the end of 1963, we visited Korolev’s experimental design bureau, where ships were manufactured and we studied space technology. Sergei Pavlovich met us, took us to the workshop and showed us a model of the Voskhod spacecraft, equipped with some kind of strange camera. Having noticed our Surprised, he said that this was a gateway to enter free outer space. Sergei Pavlovich suggested that I put on a spacesuit and try to perform the experiment. After two hours of work, during which I had to work hard, I expressed my thoughts to Korolev. I remember saying that It’s possible to complete the task, you just need to think it through well.”

During training, for more free control of their body, the cosmonauts performed a special set of physical exercises, jumped from a height into the water, trained on a trampoline, parachuted, and conducted classes on a special device - a freely rotating “Zhukovsky bench.” Working on simulators simulating unsupported space was supposed to help astronauts feel more confident in outer space.

The cosmonauts also trained in conditions of real weightlessness, but only for a short time - in an airplane flying along a special trajectory. “Dozens of times,” recalls Leonov, “we took to the air and in short periods of time, step by step, perfected all the details of going into outer space and entering the spacecraft cabin.” To do this, a life-size mock-up of the Voskhod-2 cockpit with an airlock chamber was installed in the spacious cabin of the Tu-104 aircraft. The plane accelerated, diving down, and went steeply upward, performing a “slide” aerobatics maneuver, during which “weightlessness” set in. The “quality” of the resulting weightlessness depended entirely on the skill of the pilot, who, relying only on the data of his own vestibular apparatus, forced the plane to fly in a parabola, simulating free fall. With each such maneuver, weightlessness lasted a little more than 20 seconds, and during this time the astronauts had to complete the planned part of the training. During the 1.5 hour flight of the plane, 5 such “slides” were made, and in total about 2 minutes of weightlessness were gained.

Components of success

Before the first human spacewalk, conflicting assumptions were made. Some argued that the astronaut could be “welded” to the spacecraft. And such concerns, based on well-known experiments on cold welding in a vacuum, were expressed quite seriously, although to a large extent they were removed by tests in a thermobaric chamber. Others believed that a person deprived of his usual support would not be able to make a single movement outside the ship. Still others believed that infinite space would cause fear in a person and have a negative impact on his psyche... One way or another, no one, including the Chief, knew exactly how the cosmos would greet a person who dared to take the first step in its space. constructor. “If it becomes very difficult, make a decision depending on the situation,” Korolev told the cosmonauts. As a last resort, the crew was allowed to “confine themselves to only opening the hatch and... putting their hands overboard.”

And here it was necessary to solve another important problem. It consisted in the fact that when selecting a crew, it was necessary to take into account not only the goals and objectives of the flight, as well as its duration and the complexity of the work ahead, but also the individual psychological characteristics of the astronauts, based on research by psychologists. The crew of the Voskhod-2 spacecraft required special coordination and teamwork. Such a complex task as the first human spacewalk from a ship’s cabin through an airlock chamber could only be solved with complete mutual understanding, trust and confidence in each other. When distributing responsibilities between crew members, they took into account not so much vocational training, how many individual psychological qualities of astronauts.

As psychologists noted, Belyaev was characterized by will and endurance, allowing him not to get lost in the most difficult situations, logical thinking, and great persistence in overcoming difficulties in achieving his goal. Leonov was of the choleric type - impetuous, courageous, decisive, he was able to easily develop vigorous activity. In addition, being endowed with an artistic gift, Leonov could quickly take in and memorize entire paintings, and then reproduce them quite accurately. These two different personalities complemented each other well, forming, as psychologists put it, a “highly compatible group” that was actually able to successfully complete a complex spacewalk program and write up a detailed account of the surprises and problems associated with working in outer space.

In preparation for the flight, we tried to anticipate any surprises and practiced actions in possible emergency situations. For example, the behavior of the crew commander was very carefully worked out in the event that something unexpected happened to the second member of the team who went into outer space and the commander had to provide him with assistance. In addition, extensive flight experience helped the crew gain the necessary confidence and calm.

“We reasoned like this: we flew on airplanes, jumped with parachutes, therefore, it cannot be that the psychological barrier turned out to be a serious obstacle for us,” recalled A. Leonov.

Man overboard

On March 18, 1965, Voskhod-2 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 him put on a backpack of an individual life support system with a supply of oxygen, then filled the airlock chamber with air, pressed the button and the hatch connecting the ship’s cabin with the airlock chamber opened. Leonov “floated” into the airlock chamber, Belyaev closed the hatch into the chamber and began depressurizing it, then pressed the button and opened the chamber hatch. The last step remains to be taken...

Alexey Leonov gently pushed away from the ship, carefully moving his arms and legs. The movements were performed relatively easily, and he, spreading his arms like wings, began to soar freely in airless space high above the Earth, while a 5-meter halyard securely connected him to the ship. From on board the ship, Leonov was constantly monitored by two television cameras (and although their resolution was low, a quite decent film was later mounted on Earth about the first spacewalk of an earthling).

Belyaev transmitted to Earth: “Man has entered outer space!” Leonov flew about a meter away from the ship, then returned to it again. The Black Sea was floating right below, Leonov was able to see a ship going far from the shore, brightly illuminated by the Sun. When they flew over the Volga, Belyaev connected the phone in Leonov’s spacesuit to a broadcast from Moscow Radio - Levitan was reading a TASS report about a man’s spacewalk.

Five times the astronaut flew away from the ship and returned. All this time, the spacesuit was maintained at “room” temperature, and its outer surface was heated in the sun to +60° and cooled in the shade to -100°C.

When Leonov saw the Irtysh and Yenisei, he received Belyaev’s command to return to the cabin, but this turned out to be difficult. The fact is that in a vacuum Leonov’s spacesuit swelled. The fact that something like this could happen was expected, but hardly anyone expected it to be so strong. Leonov could not squeeze into the airlock hatch, and there was no time to consult with the Earth. He made attempt after attempt - all to no avail, and the oxygen supply in the suit was designed for only 20 minutes, which was inexorably running out. In the end, Leonov released the pressure in the spacesuit and, contrary to the instructions instructing him to enter the airlock with his feet, he decided to “float” face forward, and, fortunately, he succeeded... Leonov spent 12 minutes in outer space, during which time he he was sweating, as if a bucket of water had been poured on him - the physical exertion was so great.

Enthusiastic messages about the new Soviet experiment continued to be heard over the receiver from Earth in different voices, and the crew began to prepare for the descent. The flight program provided for an automatic landing on the seventeenth orbit, but due to an automatic failure caused by the “shooting” of the airlock, it was necessary to go to the next, eighteenth orbit and land using a manual control system. This was the first manual landing, 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. The delay in the command to turn on the brake motors was 45 seconds. As a result, the cosmonauts landed far from the calculated landing point, in the remote taiga, 180 km northwest of Perm.

They were not found immediately; there was no search service as such then. Tall trees prevented the landing of the helicopters, and it was also not possible to drop warm clothes for the astronauts. Therefore, they 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, clearing an area for a small helicopter. The next day, Belyaev and Leonov were taken to Baikonur.

The significance of what was accomplished by Alexey Leonov and Pavel Belyaev was assessed by Chief Designer S.P. Korolev: “The crew of the Voskhod-2 spacecraft was given a very difficult task, qualitatively different from previous flights. further development cosmonautics, perhaps no less than from the success of the first space flight... the significance of this feat is difficult to overestimate: their flight showed that a person can live in free space, leave the ship... he can work everywhere as it turns out to be necessary. Without such an opportunity, it would be impossible to think about creating new paths in space."

Overseas records

The Americans also planned to carry out a manned spacewalk and hoped to be the first to do so. On Earth, Edward White, a US Air Force test pilot, trained in a pressure chamber to solve this problem. He joined the astronaut corps in 1962, by which time he had the most experience in zero gravity, since he flew on the KS-13B transport aircraft, where weightlessness was simulated during astronaut training.

The launch of a Soviet cosmonaut into outer space was regarded in the United States as another challenge - in those years there was a competition in space between two superpowers, and American specialists were forced to intensify their efforts. According to the original plan, White only had to look out of the open hatch in orbit. But the program for the upcoming flight had to be changed on the fly.

White, who was preparing to go into outer space, did not expect that his time would strike so quickly. NASA announced the upcoming flight with an astronaut into outer space on May 25, 1965, and on June 3, the Gemini 4 spacecraft launched into space with astronauts D. McDivitt and E. White on board. Soon after Gemini entered orbit, the astronauts began preparing for their primary mission. Since Gemini, unlike Voskhod, did not have an airlock, the astronauts pumped out the air from the cabin and opened the entrance hatch. White pushed off from the ship and “floated” into outer space, McDivitt filmed his actions with a movie camera. White’s ship was connected to a gilded halyard 7.6 m long, through the same halyard the oxygen necessary for breathing was supplied.

White was outside the ship for 22 minutes, and he, like Leonov, was amazed by outer space: “I saw amazing pictures that defy description.” What a wealth of colors! The bright colors of the sky gave way to views of clouds, land, ocean... The blue of the ocean was so deep. The green and brown colors of the land seemed much more natural than from an airplane flying at a relatively low altitude."

Over the 40 years of history of spacewalks and work in outer space - experts call it extravehicular activity - the duration of a person’s stay in the vacuum of space in one spacewalk has grown from 12 minutes (A. Leonov, March 16, 1965) to 9 hours (D. Voss and S. Helms, leaving the American shuttle Discovery on March 11, 2001 for work on the ISS). Creating and maintaining the ISS in working order would have been impossible without long spacewalks and a huge amount of installation and repair work.

The predecessors of the ISS are Soviet orbital stations"Salyut", "Mir" and the American "Skylab" were repeatedly complicated during operation, and their service life was extended many times over. Accordingly, the likelihood of malfunctions increased and the need to monitor the condition of individual components and assemblies, including those located outside - in outer space, became urgent. The intensity of spacewalks has increased several times - if the first hundred spacewalks were completed in 17 years, then the second hundred were three times faster - in just 9 years. Over the history of manned astronautics, 140 spacewalks have been carried out (data as of February 1, 2005). Largest quantity Anatoly Solovyov performed spacewalks. He has 16 of them with a total duration of 71 hours and 32 minutes. Sergey Avdeev made 10 trips with a total duration of 42 hours. Jerry Ross is the leader among Americans - 9 spacewalks, he spent 58 hours behindboard. The first woman to perform a spacewalk on July 25, 1984 was Svetlana Savitskaya.

Last year marked a significant date - half-century anniversary from the day of the first earthling's exit into open space. Today, any schoolchild will name this man - Soviet cosmonaut No. 11, now a major general, twice Hero of the Soviet Union Alexei Arkhipovich Leonov, who accomplished his feat on March 18, 1965. Despite the fact that this event was largely political - the two powers of the USSR and the USA fought for leadership in space achievements, its significance is difficult to overestimate.

Who was the first to go into outer space on behalf of the USSR?

Today, when tourist flights into low-Earth orbit are becoming commonplace, an inhabited planet constantly revolves around the Earth. space station with an international crew, it is difficult to imagine how much effort it took scientists, engineers and ordinary workers to make the first human presence in outer space.

For the flight of the crew consisting of commander P.I. Belyaev and backup pilot, cosmonaut engineer A.A. Leonov, a two-seat replica of the Voskhod series spacecraft was prepared, which not only differed significantly from Gagarin’s Vostok-1, but also had major design changes compared to the three-seat Voskhod - 1. Especially for going out and staying in open space, the design of the ship included an inflatable chamber - the Volga airlock, and the cosmonauts' equipment consisted of a fundamentally new Berkut spacesuit. Exit according to plan
A. A. Leonov beyond the limits of Voskhod - 2 was supposed to take place on the second orbit of the orbital flight.

The launch of the launch vehicle took place at the scheduled time from the Baikonur cosmodrome. Flying over the Sahara, the astronaut engineer began to prepare to exit the ship. Much later, Alexey Leonov, either with irony or with a grin, recalled all the vicissitudes of this event.

To ensure that the astronaut does not fly away from the spacecraft, becoming an independent satellite of the Earth, the insurance system was made in the form of a fastened halyard, the strength of which was repeatedly tested in terrestrial conditions. But either due to the usual Russian carelessness, or because of excitement, Alexey Arkhipovich forgot to fasten the halyard to the safety bracket of the Voskhod - 2, and only an additional check carried out by Pavel Belyaev made it possible to notice this error, which could cause - even loss astronaut

The second drawback manifested itself in the discrepancy between the rigidity of the spacesuit and the real vacuum of space. Despite repeated checks on Earth, when returning inside the ship, the cosmonaut’s “robe” “inflated” beyond normal, and when climbing through the hatch, A. Leonov was forced to lower the pressure inside the “Berkut” below the prescribed value.