Voskhod 2, launched on March 18, 1965, was a manned mission carrying
Pavel Belyayev and
Alexei Leonov. On that day, Leonov made history by becoming the first person to walk in space, a feat he accomplished during a 12-minute and 9-second extravehicular activity.
 |
| A Voskhod 2 launch cover, postmarked with two red Kiev special hand cancels dated March 18, 1965, signed by Alexei Leonov, the first person to walk in space. |
 |
| Photo: A portrait photograph of Alexei Leonov, bearing his signature. |
 > |
| Photo: Voskhod 2 crew, Pavel Belyayev and Alexei Leonov. |
 |
| Photo: Voskhod 2 crew dressed in winter gear, signed by Alexei Leonov and Pavel Belyayev. - RRAuction |
Despite the remarkable success of the spacewalk, several issues arose afterward. Leonov nearly struggled to re-enter the airlock due to the stiffness of his inflated spacesuit, requiring him to release some pressure to move more easily. Once he was back inside the spacecraft, the crew faced challenges in sealing the hatch properly. Later, a malfunction in the automatic guidance system for re-entry forced them to rely on the manual backup. Voskhod 2 ultimately landed in the dense forests of the Ural Mountains, far from the intended landing zone. The crew spent two nights in the wilderness before being rescued. As a result, subsequent missions in the Voskhod program were considered too dangerous and were canceled.
 |
| Photo: Soviet scientists monitor signals from the Voskhod 2 crew, March 18, 1965. |
 |
 |
 |
 |
| Photo: A series of photographs capturing Alexei Leonov during the first-ever spacewalk on March 18, 1965. |
 |
| Photo: Crowds gather in Moscow’s Red Square to celebrate Alexei Leonov’s successful spacewalk. |
 |
| A Voskhod 2 launch cover, postmarked in Liepaja with a hand cancel on March 18, 1965. |
 |
| A Voskhod 2 launch cover, postmarked in Silute with a hand cancel on March 18, 1965. |
 |
| A Voskhod 2 launch cover, postmarked in Arkhangelsk with a hand cancel on March 18, 1965. |
 |
| A Voskhod 2 launch cover, postmarked in Arkhangelsk with a hand cancel on March 18, 1965. |
 |
| A Voskhod 2 First Day Cover from "KNIGA" featuring an imperforate "First Human Spacewalk" stamp, postmarked in Moscow with a hand cancel on March 19, 1965, signed by Alexei Leonov. The stamp was issued on the day the Voskhod 2 crew returned to Earth. |
 |
| A Voskhod 2 First Day Cover featuring an imperforate "First Human Spacewalk" stamp, postmarked in Arkhangelsk with a hand cancel on March 19, 1965, commemorating Alexei Leonov’s historic first spacewalk on March 18, 1965. |
 |
| A Voskhod 2 First Day Cover featuring an imperforate "First Human Spacewalk" stamp, postmarked in Arkhangelsk with a hand cancel on March 19, 1965, commemorating the successful completion of the Voskhod 2 mission. |
 |
| Photo: The Voskhod 2 crew made their first public appearance on March 21, 1965. |
 |
 |
| Photo: A sketch made by the crew illustrating how the camera outside the Voskhod 2 spacecraft captured Leonov's spacewalk. |
 |
| Photo: Alexei Leonov and Pavel Belyayev being interviewed by a radioman on March 22, 1965. |
 |
 |
| Photo: Alexei Leonov and Pavel Belyayev waving to the crowd as they head to Red Square for a state reception on March 23, 1965. |
 |
| A cover featuring an imperforate "First Human Spacewalk" stamp, postmarked with two red Moscow special hand cancels dated March 23, 1965, signed by Alexei Leonov and Pavel Belyayev. |
 |
| A Voskhod 2 First Day Cover featuring a portrait of Pavel Belyayev and a perforated "First Human Spacewalk" stamp, postmarked with two red Moscow special hand cancel dated March 23, 1965, signed by Pavel Belyayev. The perforated "First Human Spacewalk" stamp was issued on March 23, 1965. |
 |
| A Voskhod 2 First Day Cover featuring a portrait of Alexei Leonov and a perforated "First Human Spacewalk" stamp, postmarked with a red Moscow special hand cancel dated March 23, 1965, signed by Alexei Leonov. |
 |
| A cover commemorating Voskhod 2 and its historic spacewalk, postmarked with a black Minsk special hand cancel dated March 25, 1965, signed by Alexei Leonov. |
 |
| A Voskhod 2 crew portraits First Day Cover from "KNIGA", postmarked in Moscow with a hand cancel on May 23, 1965, signed by Pavel Belyayev and Alexei Leonov. |
 |
| Photo: Alexei Leonov assists fellow cosmonaut Pavel Belyayev with the sugar before a Moscow press conference. Belyayev explained that Voskhod 2 failed to land as scheduled, overshooting its intended landing zone, and required manual control for touchdown. |
 |
| Photo: Alexei Leonov and Pavel Belyayev recount their historic flight in an exclusive interview with NBC News correspondent Frank Bourgholtzer, aired on NBC Color Television on April 27, 1965. |
 |
 |
| Postcards featuring the Voskhod 2 crew, cosmonauts Alexei Leonov and Pavel Belyayev. |
 |
| Photo: Five-year-old Jens Christian, son of Denmark's Prime Minister Jens Otto Krag, receives autographs from Pavel Belyayev and Alexei Leonov during their visit to Copenhagen on November 26, 1965. |
 |
| Photo: Alexei Leonov and Pavel Belyayev, the new heroes, alongside some members of the Vostok crew. |
 |
| Photo: Cosmonaut Alexei A. Leonov, the first Russian to walk in space, who is also a talented artist with works exhibited in private galleries and newspapers. Leonov has depicted his space experiences on three postage stamps, showcasing the launch, flight near the moon, and his historic spacewalk. He is seen standing next to one of his paintings in an exhibition in Paris, which captures the moment he stepped into space for the first time. |
(Reference from
The Nightmare of Voskhod 2.)
>
