Soviet cosmonaut Alexei Leonov, the first man to make an exit into space in 1965 and commander of the first joint space mission of the USSR and the United States, died Friday at age 85. "Alexei Leonov died in Moscow at 12:40 (9:40 GMT) after a long illness," said AFP Natalia Filimonova.
[# Video] 1965> 1st exit in the space of history by the Soviet # AlexeïLeonovhttps: //t.co/NrYy3BH1qU#LaMethSci
- Scientific Method (@lamethodeFC) February 13, 2018The "pedestrian of space"
On March 19, 1965, the cosmonaut made his first outing from his ship Voskhod-2, in the open space, earning him the nickname of first "pedestrian of space". He had cautiously departed two to three meters from the ship, finding the operation very painful. Blinded by the Sun, despite his golden visor, he was held securely by a cable at the airlock of his ship. "Here, I try," he said, leaving. The operation lasted twenty minutes, twelve minutes entirely outside the Voskhod.
Alexei Leonov was also the Soviet side commander of the Apollo-Soyuz mission in 1975, the first joint between the two rivals of the Cold War and the space race, the USSR and the United States. This mission marked the beginning of a technological cooperation that continues today.
Tribute to the great Russian cosmonaut Alexei Leonov, the first man to go out in the cold of space in 1965, who died today 11 October.
His handshake with Stafford in 1975 went around the world, symbolizing the relaxation between the two blocks of the Cold War. pic.twitter.com/57JAlOjDWK
The cosmonaut was also a close friend of the first man in space, his compatriot Yuri Gagarin. When he died in a plane crash on March 27, 1968 near Moscow, he was one of the first on the scene. His funeral is scheduled for Tuesday in Moscow, announced the Cosmonaut Preparation Center.