“A human being has made the first ever walk in open space. He is at this very moment flying free in space.” This was the announcement of Soviet cosmonaut Pavel Belyayev during a television broadcast on March 18, 1965. Fellow Voskhod-2 crewmember Alexei Leonov climbed out of their spacecraft, exited an airlock and floated alone 310 miles above the Earth. It was another stunning spaceflight “first” for the Soviet Union 60 Years ago.
In mid-1966, Gemini X continued advancing NASA’s capabilities for operating in space with a record-setting, three-day flight. Two astronauts completed rendezvous with two separate targets, retrieved an experiment package from one and set a new altitude record for human flight. All the objectives were designed as stepping stones in preparation for the Apollo Moon landings to follow.
Building on the success of the first piloted Gemini mission, NASA prepared to launch its most ambitions flight to date – Gemini IV. During June 1965, two astronauts would not only stay in orbit four days, one would attempt America’s first spacewalk. It was another example of advancing technology enabling new avenues of exploration.