On March 18, 1965, Alexei Leonov stepped out into space from his Vokshod 2 spacecraft, while his comrade Pavel Belyayev commanded the flight.
Leonov wore a space suit and was connected to Vokshod 2 by a tether and radio communication.
His space walk was successful, but Leonov’s space suit had expanded, and he was forced to reduce the air pressure inside it in order to fit back into the spacecraft.
Upon entering Earth’s atmosphere again, Vokshod 2 suffered malfunctions and reentry had to be carried out manually.
The cosmonauts could not rely on the automated reentry system but had to operate the spacecraft themselves, like parking a car when the engine and brakes aren’t working right.
It landed more than 600 miles (1,000 km) off course in a snow-covered forest.
The cosmonauts got out, built a fire, and spent the night in the cold before rescue teams reached them.
