Toy astronaut/cosmonaut in an outboard spacesuit

• Resin
• Hight: ca. 7.5 cm
• With cord for hanging

Caution, choking hazard. Not suitable for children under 3 years of age. Swallowable small parts

Outboard mission

The first space flight was made on 18 March 1965 by Alexei Leonov from Voskhod 2 on a four-and-a-half-metre safety line. The first US American was astronaut Edward H. White on 3 June 1965, when he exited the Gemini 4 spacecraft. During his 23-minute exit, his spacesuit remained connected to Gemini 4 via an eight-metre supply line. In space, he manoeuvred with a Hand-Held Manoeuvring Unit (HHMU). The following outboard activities at the end of the Gemini programme (Gemini 9 to Gemini 11) then proved to be far more physically demanding than expected: Eugene Cernan left the Gemini spacecraft through the hatch during Gemini 9 on 5 June 1966 and shimmied along the spacecraft to its tail to strap on a manoeuvring unit (AMU) developed by the US Air Force. There were too few stopping points, so Cernan's progress was slow. By the time he got to the stern, he was way behind time and at the end of his tether; he could not test the manoeuvring unit. On the way back to the hatch, the cooling of the spacesuit could not compensate for the heat radiation from the body, and Cernan's visor fogged up. He could no longer see anything and could not orientate himself because of the lack of gravity. With the last of his strength, he got back into the spaceship. He was outboard for over two hours.