In 1965, the first spacewalk in human history almost had an accident, and the astronauts who stepped out of the spacecraft were affected by the gravitational pull of space, drifting left and right outside the spacecraft, and almost remained in space forever.
All statements in this article are based on reliable sources
The year 1965 was a remarkable milestone in the history of space exploration, when the Soviet military decided to demonstrate its strength by conducting spacewalk experiments two years ahead of schedule in order to gain a lead in space.
However, the aviation authority was unhappy with this, because the preparations were not yet complete, and the Soviet Union took a series of cautious measures to ensure the safety of the cosmonauts, including the early launch of unmanned spacecraft for testing.
The pioneers of this adventure were the first Soviet cosmonauts, Alexei Leonov and Beryaev, who were ready to make sacrifices before departure, but even then no one flinched.
So on March 18, 1965, the rocket ignited, the signal was normal, the spacecraft successfully entered orbit, everything was ready, and the most critical spacewalk began.
Beryaev opened the airlock compartment and immediately adjusted the balance of internal and external air pressure, the gas in space was almost non-existent, causing the spacecraft to intermittently connect with the ground signal, increasing the tension, Leonov turned on the oxygen supply switch of the spacesuit and entered the airlock compartment, the spacesuit expanded rapidly, but it was still within the safe range.
The experiment was in full swing, and Leonov ventured out of the cabin and turned on the camera mounted above the spacecraft, broadcasting the historic moment live to the whole Soviet Union.
I saw him clutching the hatch tightly, because it was a decisive moment, and if he just let go of his hands, he could become the first hero of a spacewalk, and at the same time, he could remain in space forever.
In space, he is more than 300 kilometers above the ground, everything is moving at high speed, and his flight speed reaches 29,000 kilometers per hour.
The weightless environment made him feel powerless, the spacesuit swelled to the limit under the violent air pressure difference, he rolled in space like a balloon, the safety rope became his lifeline, he tried to grab the capsule, but the roll made him dizzy and confused.
Beryaev called in the capsule, but did not respond, and the command center was faced with a major decision, if Leonov could not successfully return to the capsule, whether Beryaev should abandon him and return to Earth alone, but Beryaev rejected this decision and applied to go out of the capsule to rescue his companions, this decision was very risky, because in the event of disappointment, two excellent cosmonauts would be lost.
Fortunately, in the end, Leonov managed to grab the capsule and try to return, the expansion of the spacesuit made it very difficult to bend over, he could only try to enter the capsule with his head first, and in the case of oxygen depletion, the hatch did not close automatically, he had to turn his body in a small space and force the hatch shut.
The adventure provided valuable lessons for future generations of astronauts, who today do not need a safety rope when exiting the capsule, and who must also adapt to the high speeds of flying in space.
Years later, on February 7, 1984, American astronaut Bruce McCandelus performed the first untethered spacewalk in human history.
When asked if he felt fear, he said that his Xi to using the Earth or orbiter as a reference coordinate, making the relative speed quite small made him feel comfortable, like flying one plane alongside another flying at high speed.
Information sources: Shangguan News, Sohu.com
