The exclusive BBC interview and huge multimedia feature on the first human to walk in space is not to be missed:
[Alexey] Leonov, now 80, has given a rare interview to the BBC in which he talks about the series of emergencies that made the trek back to Earth worthy of any Hollywood movie.
Minutes after he stepped into space, Leonov realised his suit had inflated like a balloon, preventing him from getting back inside.
Later on, the cosmonauts narrowly avoided being obliterated in a huge fireball when oxygen levels soared inside the craft. And on the way back to Earth, the crew was exposed to enormous G-forces, landing hundreds of kilometres off target in a remote corner of Siberia populated by wolves and bears.
Afterwards, the Soviet authorities revealed nothing about the problems. For years, few people knew the truth.
It almost makes the movie “Gravity” look like a walk in the park, and it’s a true story.
Leonov on the first-ever extra-vehicular excursion in space. (Credit: Soviet space program via Wikipedia)
