Snapshots in History: March 18: Remembering the First Space Walk and Beyond
On March 18 and beyond, those of you who are outer space enthusiasts may want to take a moment to remember the importance of space walking, known officially as extravehicular activity (EVA). Soviet cosmonaut Alexei Leonov completed the first ever tethered space walk on March 18, 1965 outside of the spacecraft Voshkod 2 for a duration of twelve (12) minutes and nine (9) seconds. Leonov experienced trouble with his ballooning spacesuit which made it difficult to operate a camera and to return inside the spacecraft. This further delayed the return of Voshkod 2 to Earth by forty-six (46) seconds and resulted in a landing 386 kilometres away from the intended landing spot, forcing Leonov and fellow cosmonaut Pavel Belyayev to spend a frigid night in their spacecraft until the recovery crew found them.
On June 3, 1965, American astronaut Edward White became the first American (and second overall) to walk in space. He was reluctant to finish his EVA (total of 36 minutes) and had to be ordered back into the Gemini 4 spacecraft. A problem developed when the hatch mechanism had problems being relatched after having been opened. Fortunately, the problem was fixed otherwise White and fellow astronaut James McDivitt would not have been able to re-enter the atmosphere without Gemini 4 burning up on impact.
Recently retired Canadian astronaut Chris Hadfield was the first Canadian (and 127th overall) to walk in space. In fact, Hadfield completed 2 EVAs for a total duration of 14 hours 53 minutes 38 seconds. Hadfield has written and spoken about his time in outer space, including his recent stint as commander of the International Space Station (ISS).
Consider the following titles for borrowing from Toronto Public Library collections:
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