First to Spacewalk, Russian Cosmonaut Dies Aged 85.

Leonov was a legendary adventurer, remembered for his bravery and his sense of humor. (Wikimedia Commons)

Alexei Leonov, a Soviet cosmonaut who was the first human to complete a spacewalk, died on October 11 after struggling with a long and protracted illness.

“The life of Alexei Leonov is a true legend,” Russian national space agency Roscosmos said in a letter to Leonov's family. "His name will forever remain in history." Russian President Vladimir Putin also wrote to Leonov’s family, describing the cosmonaut as a "true pioneer, a strong and heroic person.

Leonov won numerous awards for his great accomplishments, including two of Russia’s most distinguished: two Hero of the Soviet Union medals, and the Order of Lenin twice.

Space was not the first career Leonov considered. Artistically talented, he narrowly picked a pilot training course over enrolling in art school. Leonov never lost his love of art, bringing colored pencils with him on trips to space and exhibiting his paintings internationally after retiring.

In 1953, he joined the Soviet air force, training as a fighter pilot. Six years later, he was chosen to be a cosmonaut for the Soviet Union: his first assignment was on the Vostok 5 mission as support to Valeri Bykovsky. More than 100 miles above the Earth, Leonov exited the Voskhod 2 space capsule secured by a tether, leaving a fellow cosmonaut to pilot in his absence.

"I stepped into that void and I didn't fall in. I was mesmerized by the stars. They were everywhere — up above, down below, to the left, to the right. I can still hear my breath and my heartbeat in that silence," Leonov recollected 50 years after his spacewalk. "I will never forget the moment. I also felt an incredible sense of responsibility. Of course, I did not know that I was about to experience the most difficult moments of my life — getting back into the capsule.”

In the vacuum of space, Leonov’s spacesuit had inflated, and he was unable to reenter the capsule without venting oxygen from his suit by opening a valve.

After his 12 minutes and nine-second long spacewalk, Leonov’s body temperature was so high that his sweat pooled in his spacesuit. These incredible dangers were not publicized to the public. Leonov was prepared for the worst: if he could not return to the spacecraft, he carried a suicide pill in his helmet.

“I didn’t report this down to Earth,” Mr. Leonov said. “I knew the situation better than anyone else.”

The dangers did not cease: after returning to the spacecraft, it began rolling wildly and oxygen levels spiked. Through years of training and tremendous bravery, the cosmonauts piloted the ship manually and returned to Earth, crashing in a forest far from the original landing destination. The two cosmonauts were trapped in the freezing tundra and waited in the capsule for warmth until they were rescued two days later.

Ten years later, Leonov prepared to return to space. He led the Soviet half of the Apollo-Soyuz 19 mission, a cooperative venture with NASA. “In the eyes of all of humanity, we showed the best side of man,” Leonov reflected.

He was well-known for his humor and compassion. Once the Apollo and Soyuz capsules docked in orbit, Leonov and his crewmate gifted the Americans canned borscht disguised as vodka. The Americans were initially hesitant to toast on the job, but Leonov said that they “insisted, saying that according to our tradition, we must drink before work.” The astronauts fell for the prank and drank the borscht with surprise.

NASA interrupted a live broadcast of a spacewalk at the International Space Station to report Leonov’s death. "His venture into the vacuum of space began the history of extra-vehicular activity that makes today's Space Station maintenance possible," NASA tweeted.

Leonov was buried on Tuesday at a military memorial cemetery outside Moscow. He is survived by his wife, a daughter and two grandchildren.

While Leonov was certainly part of the Soviets’ accomplishments in the space race, he regretted the political competition. “If [the US and Soviets] could have gotten together earlier,” he toldthe Boston Globe, “we would already have built an international observatory on the moon and we would be flying to Mars right now.”