Who was the first person to walk in space?
Leonov, a former Soviet astronaut, was the first human to walk in space.
Leonov was born in Kemerovo Oblast on May 30, 1934. He joined the Soviet Army in 1953 and graduated from Chuguev Military Aviation School (1957) and Zhukovsky Military Academy. School of Aeronautical Engineering (1968). He served as a pilot in the Soviet Air Force and joined the Space Force in 1960.
On March 18, 1965, as co-pilot, he completed the spaceflight of the "Vossar 2" spacecraft together with Dr. Belyaev. During the flight, he completed the world's first action of leaving the spacecraft and entering space. He spent about 24 minutes in space, of which 12 minutes were "floating" freely. On several occasions, he left the spacecraft as far as 5 meters away. During the flight, preliminary experiments were conducted to study the biomechanics of unsupported space movement, autonomous life support systems, airtight transition cabins and control systems were tested, and the possibility of installation and disassembly work outside the spacecraft was also explored. For completing this flight, he was awarded the title "Hero of the Soviet Union".
From July 15 to 20, 1975, Leonov participated in the joint spaceflight of the former Soviet Union's "Soyuz 19" spacecraft and the American "Apollo" spacecraft as the captain. This is the first major joint scientific experiment in the history of spaceflight conducted under the "Soyuz-Apollo" program. It is carried out in accordance with the Agreement on Cooperation in the Research and Use of Space for Peaceful Purposes signed on May 24, 1970 between the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics and the United States of America.
During the six-day and night flight, Leonov tested the coordination and anastomosis equipment for approach and docking for the first time, realized the docking of the Soviet-American spacecraft and the mutual transfer of the crew of the two spacecrafts, and conducted joint scientific research Research experiments. Leonov was once again awarded the "Gold Star" medal for his heroic performance in successfully completing this flight.
In recognition of Leonov's contribution to the development of space, the Academy of Sciences of the former Soviet Union awarded him a Tsiolkovsky Gold Medal, and the International Aeronautical Federation awarded him the "Cosmos" Gold Medal. 2 medals. In addition, he was also awarded the title of "Hero of Labor" of the Socialist People's Republic of Bulgaria and the "Hero of Labor" of the Socialist Republic of Vietnam. He also won 2 "Orders of Lenin", the "Order of the Red Star" and the third-level "First Class" In the Armed Forces of the Soviet Union, there is one medal each for Service to the Fatherland, and many medals and foreign medals. A crater on the far side of the moon is named after him.
Knowledge Points
"Vostok" spacecraft
The "Vostok" spacecraft is an improvement on the "Vostok" spacecraft. The larger ejection seat was cancelled, and astronaut seats were added to accommodate up to 3 astronauts. Due to limitations of the life support system, the orbital flight time is short. From 1964 to 1965, two "Vossar" manned spacecraft were launched. The spacecraft is equipped with a return landing system, backup braking rockets, auxiliary orientation systems, television and radio communication equipment, etc., and operates in a low orbit with a period of 90 minutes and an inclination of 63°. The Voskhod 1 spacecraft, launched in October 1964, carried scientists around the Earth for the first time and conducted research and technical experiments on astrophysics, aerospace medicine, and biology. The Voskhod 2 spacecraft launched in March 1965 was equipped with an airlock cabin, operating procedures for operating the airlock, and a control system for astronauts to exit the vehicle and enter space. The spacecraft was equipped with a special space suit with an autonomous life support system. With the help of these equipment, astronaut Leonov stepped out of the spacecraft for the first time and conducted extravehicular activities.
Alan Shepard, the first American astronaut
Alan Shepard was the first American to travel in space. On May 15, 1961, he represented the United States in its first space flight aboard the "Freedom 7" small spacecraft with a speed of more than 8,000 kilometers per hour. He won a major victory for the United States and became a national hero. At that time, the United States and the former Soviet Union were in fierce competition for world influence, and the competition made space darken.
In 1957, the former Soviet Union launched its first electronic satellite, "Sputnik 1". In less than four months, the United States successfully launched its first spacecraft.
Then the two sides began to compete for who could launch a manned spacecraft first.
On April 12, 1961, former Soviet astronaut Yuri Gagarin flew in space for 108 minutes and circled the earth once. The former Soviet Union once again won the "space competition." Three weeks later, the United States also launched 37-year-old naval officer Alan Shepard into space.
Alan Shepard was born on November 18, 1923 in East Devi, New Hampshire, a small town in the United States. He graduated from the U.S. Naval Academy in 1944. After graduation, I got married soon. During World War II, he served briefly on a destroyer in the Pacific. In 1947, Alan Shepard became a naval aviator and later a test pilot. The job of a test pilot was dangerous, but it helped Alan Sheppard take on more adventurous jobs in the future.
The success of the former Soviet Union in launching artificial satellites prompted the United States to accelerate its space program. The Americans decided to launch a satellite as soon as possible, but the first launch failed because the rocket exploded during launch. However, more and more people support the space program. Congress and scientists support the establishment of a space agency in the United States. Soon, Congress voted to create NASA. NASA's job is to develop scientific space exploration plans, and its primary goal is to send the first American into space.
Three months later, a project named "Mercury" was born. The god Mercury is the messenger of the gods in Greek mythology. Engineers set about building the spacecraft, and NASA looked for astronauts.
NASA wants military test pilots because military test pilots often fly new aircraft and adapt to flying in dangerous environments. On April 7, 1959, NASA selected seven astronauts. They would become the first American astronauts, Alan Shepard being one of them.
Nine months after the launch of the Mercury program, NASA developed plans for a test flight from Cape Canaveral, Florida. In the following two years, many test flights were conducted, but none of them carried astronauts.
The last test flight was at the end of January 1961. The passenger was a chimpanzee named Ham. The spacecraft flew 700 kilometers and crossed the Atlantic Ocean. The test flight revealed several problems, but Ham survived and landed in the Atlantic Ocean. Later, people often asked how Alan Shepard became the first American astronaut. He jokingly replied: "Kick the chimpanzees out, I will sit on it, and I will become an astronaut."
A few days before the launch, it was announced that Alan Shepard had been selected as the first An American in space. Due to bad weather, the flight originally scheduled for May 2 or May 4 was canceled. On Friday, May 15, 1961, Alan Shepard once again got into the space capsule named "Freedom 7", but there was almost no room for him to move. Shepard waited inside for 4 hours. Weather was partly responsible for the delay, clouds also affected the transmission, and finally radio calls had to be checked.
Shepard was tired of waiting. So, he told the ground crew to solve the problem quickly and launch the rocket. Ground crew finally solved the problem.
The rocket slowly took off. Millions of radio listeners heard a voice from Cape Canaveral: "I'm Alan Shepard. I'm going forward and I'm not going back! Good luck to you all!" Then the rocket launched, and then The rocket rose higher and higher. Five minutes later, Alan Shepard felt the weightlessness of space, and he felt like he was floating. "Freedom 7" flew 185 kilometers high and reentered the atmosphere. The spacecraft reduced its speed and landed on the Atlantic Ocean. The landing point was about 500 kilometers away from the launch point. The 15-minute flight ended.
Three weeks later, President Kennedy announced a new U.S. plan to send people to the moon and safely return them to the earth by the end of the 1960s.
In 1974, Alan Shepard retired from NASA and the Navy and became the chairman of a construction company in Houston, Texas.
Later, he opened his own company, named "7 14 Company", which originated from his flying "Freedom 7" and "Apollo 14".
Alan Shepard also co-wrote a book "Moon Reaching" with another astronaut, telling the story of their journey to the moon.
Alan Shepard, the first American to fly in space, died on July 21, 1998, at the age of 74, after a two-year battle with leukemia.