B. Russian Alexei Leonov was the first human to walk in space in 1965.
While Neil Armstrong may forever have the distinction of being the first man to walk on the moon, he wasn't the first man to walk in space. In fact, the first person to walk in space wasn't American. That distinction belongs to Russian Alexei Leonov. He flew into space in 1965 boarding the Voskhod 2 spacecraft. Like Armstrong, Leonov also had a partner to share in this accomplishment as Leonov was joined by cosmonaut Pavel Belyayev. Leonov exited the Voskhod's hatch and took the first steps into space. He wore a backpack containing air, similar to the pack worn by scuba divers. His 12-minute walk was the first of its kind. The fact that the walk looked more like he floated did not take away from this accomplishment.
Three months later, the U.S. played catch-up and sent astronaut Edward White aboard the Gemini to walk in space.
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What is this encyclopedia entry mainly about?
A.
During the 1960s, the American space program tried to catch up to the Russians.
B.
Russian Alexei Leonov was the first human to walk in space in 1965.
C.
Alexei Leonov graduated from the Soviet air force flying and engineering schools.
D.
American Edward White was the second human to walk in space in 1965.
1 answer