Valve Save in Space: Leonov's 1965 First EVA

Alexei Leonov became the first person to exit a spacecraft in 1965 during the Voskhod 2 mission, but his Berkut suit ballooned in vacuum, forcing him to vent air to fit back through the airlock; the risky maneuver highlighted the suit’s limits, preceded Ed White’s U.S. EVA by about three months, and underscored that spacewalking demands careful engineering and planning beyond courage.