cosmonauts

How Alexei Leonov Survived the Harrowing First Spacewalk

Alexei Leonov, the first person to walk in space, passed away this week. The cosmonaut had been ill for some time following surgery and complications from diabetes, reports Russian state news agency RIA Novosti. He was 85. Leonov flew on the crewed spacecraft Voskhod 2 with copilot Pavel Belyayev in March 1965; during that mission,…

How much do you know about Valentina Tereshkova, the first woman in space? This detailed profile sheds light on the cosmonaut’s life and accomplishments, as well as her struggles.

That Time Soviet Russia Sent Dogs Into Space

The dog Laika, the first living being to orbit the Earth, lives on in our memories along with her lethal Sputnik 2 mission, on which she was an unwitting pioneer in the USSR’s space program more than 57 years ago. Her story is central to Lasse Hallström’s 1985 movie, “My Life as a Dog,” and…

Fireballs and Wolves: The Horrifying Story of the First Spacewalk

Almost 60 years ago, we took our first steps into the big, black nothingness of space. Or more specifically, Soviet cosmonaut Alexei Leonov had the honor of taking the very first space-dip. But this was a rush job—a means for the Soviet Union to shame the US and win the space race once and for…

Short film: The alleged story of the cosmonaut who burned in space

The brothers Achille and Giovanni Judica-Cordiglia claim they recorded the voice of a Russian cosmonaut as her capsule burned in re-entry on November 1963. This short film contains that recording and dramatizes the events. No matter if it’s true or not, the short film is terrifying. This is the translation of the audio allegedly captured…

Candid Videos Of Astronauts Being Dorks In Space Are Just Adorable

What do the ISS astronauts do in their free time? Sometimes, they like to act out action movie scenes—and the part where a character falls to his death is much more fun in microgravity. That’s when they aren’t playing with their floating food or doing weightless backflips. Chris Hadfield is no longer posting YouTube videos…

How can anyone take this awesomeness for granted?

Think about it. Really. Think about what you are looking at right now. That’s Oleg Artemyev and Aleksandr Aleksandrovich Skvortsov—photographed today by Reid Wiseman—just doing their job, floating between Earth and the nothingness at 4.8 miles per second. If that’s not awesome, I don’t know what is. Can you see them? SPLOID is a new…

Happy birthday, Cosmonaut Valentina!

Once upon a time, Valentina Tereshkova was a textile factor worker who made a hobby of jumping off of stuff with parachutes. On June 16, 1963, she was the first woman to make it into space, piloting Vostok 6 through 48 orbits in 70.8 hours. Today is her birthday. Valentina Tereshkova looking suitably unamused in…

Soviet and American Space Suits For Sale at This Other-Worldly Auction

On April 8th, the New York City branch of Bonhams will be hosting a “Space History” auction, and Gizmodo has been given a preview of the some of the historically unique, space age artifacts that will be for sale. From full-body Soviet space suits to a control panel once used on the space station Mir,…

Watch Today’s ISS Spacewalk Live, Right Here, Right Now

Two Russian cosmonauts have just begun a seven-hour spacewalk to install equipment on the exterior of the International Space Station. Watch them, live — because no matter what you do, their work day is way cooler than yours. Oleg Kotov and Sergey Ryazanskiy are performing scheduled ISS maintenance today, not related to the two emergency…

An Olympic Torch just went on a spacewalk

The Olympic flame famously travels around the world, but this year an Olympic torch left Earth for a very special lap. This morning, Russian cosmonauts took the torch on a spacewalk outside the International Space Station. Cosmonaut Oleg Kotov and Sergey Ryazanskiy began their six-hour spacewalk by posing with the (obviously unlit) torch outside the…

ISS Crew “Flew Blind” on Their Way Back to Earth

While exciting in some ways—homecoming, yay!—the trip home from the International Space Station is a scary enough journey even when everything goes right. Now imagine doing it with no height sensors to tell you how far from the ground you are and when to brace for impact. That’s exactly what happened earlier week. Two Russian…

Dog space suits for the earliest canine cosmonauts

Even before Laika set paw in Sputnik 2, Soviet researchers sent dogs into higher altitudes than any canine creature had traveled before. To help keep those dogs safe—and to test the equipment that would allow humans to eventually reach orbit—these scientists created high pressure suits, complete with helmets fitted to dogs’ heads. Retronaut posted a…

Bad Luck Blackjack and the Ghost of Yuri Gagarin: Curious Superstitions Surrounding Space Missions

Space exploration requires technical expertise, careful planning, and test after test after test. But it can be hard to discount the role of luck in missions where so much can go wrong. In the US and Russian space programs, many rituals are attached to missions, perhaps to add a little good fortune to their science.…

An adorable tribute to the Soviet Union’s canine cosmonauts

Laika might get the lion dog’s share of the historical glory, but the Soviet Union sent dozens of intrepid canine explorers on orbital and suborbital missions. This poster by Jess Bradley honors those early cosmonauts as adorable, waggly dogs. It’s a bit sad to think about how many of the pooches gave their lives in…

In Kazakhstan, cosmonauts must go through winter wilderness training to survive reentry

When cosmonauts and astronauts now return from a long-duration space mission on board the International Space Station, they are always coming home on a Soyuz capsule, landing in northern Kazakhstan. The Kazakh Steppe is known for its bitter winters (I just checked the local weather in Ayagoz, Kazakhstan and there is currently a blizzard going…

Russians *Wink* Also Deny *Wink* Sex Has Taken Place In Space *Wink Wink*

Sex in space: Out of this world! Allegedly, I mean, as it’s never been conducted by astronauts (in space, at least) or, as we learned this weekend courtesy the completely stuffy Russian government, cosmonauts: “There is no official or unofficial evidence that there were instances of sexual intercourse or the carrying out of sexual experiments…

The First Space Station Ever Launched 40 Years Ago Today

By 1971, people had been in space. They’d even flown around the earth! But there’d never been a real home for humans in orbit—they went up, and they came down. That changed 40 years ago today. https://gizmodo.com/in-honor-of-yuri-gagarin-the-first-human-in-space-5244563 The Russians had won the race to put a person in space, and they were equally keen on…

What really happened to cosmonaut Vladimir Komarov, who died crashing to Earth in 1967?

One of the most horrific and mysterious deaths in space is that of USSR cosmonaut Vladimir Komarov, a close friend of Yuri Gagarin. Some historians say Komarov was sent to space in a craft that officials knew could never return. Last month, NPR’s Robert Krulwich reported on a theory about how Komarov was set up…

Outed Russian Spy Anna Chapman Inexplicably Wants to Design Spacesuits

So what do you do when your career as a sleeper agent has come to a shameful end, but you’re still extremely attractive? Do things to grab a lot of attention! Like work IT in a bank for no reason! And now, try to design cosmonaut outfits! Whatever you say, Anna! [Danger Room] https://gizmodo.com/anna-chapman-the-tech-inept-russian-spy-is-now-workin-5670118