[VIDEO] Mar. 18, 1965 | Space Somersault

Mar. 18, 1965 - A Soviet astronaut opened a door today and stepped into space while orbiting the Earth at a speed of 18,600 m.p.h.

The historic step was taken by Lt. Col. Alexei Leonov, 30, who thereby became the first man to travel through space outside a spaceship.

Leonov remained connected with his spaceship by a thick hose and a wire rope with which he finally pulled himself back to the ship. The two-man ship was under the command of Col. Pavel Belyayev, 39.

The achievement — another first which kept the Soviet Union ahead of the U.S. in space — was televised to Earth by a camera aboard the ship.

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