The Voskhod program was a Soviet space program in the mid-1960s aimed at achieving various “firsts” in spaceflight before the Americans. It was a continuation of the previous Vostok program and included three unmanned flights, two manned flights, and four canceled flights. Voskhod 1 was the first multi-person spacecraft, and Voskhod 2 included the first spacewalk. However, the program was seen as a foolhardy attempt to achieve spectacular space firsts at the sacrifice of safety and was canceled in 1966.
The Voskhod program, meaning “dawn” or “rise” in Russian, was a Soviet space program active in the mid-1960s. Its primary goal was to achieve various “firsts” in spaceflight and activity before the Americans did. The Voskhod was both a continuation and a strategy for recycling various components of the previous program, the Vostok program.
The Vostok program consisted of six flights and numerous firsts: first man in space, first woman in space, first person to spend more than a day in space, and first double-crewed spaceflight. The Voskhod program was meant to continue the trend and embarrass the Americans in the process. The Vostok launches occurred in 1961 – 1963, while the Voskhod launches occurred in 1964 – 1966.
In retrospect, the Voskhod program is seen as a foolhardy attempt to achieve spectacular space firsts at the sacrifice of safety. Voskhod modules were poorly remodeled Vostok modules. The orientation of the seats was changed by 90 degrees, but the control panel remained in the same place, forcing the astronauts to crane their necks to the side to operate the control panel. The ejection seat was removed to make room for couches for two astronauts, making it impossible to rescue astronauts in the event of a launch or landing emergency.
The Voskhod program included three unmanned flights (including one canine flight), two manned flights, and four canceled flights that were supposed to be manned. Voskhod 1, launched on October 12, 1964, was the first multi-person spacecraft, with a crew of three. However, it must not have been very pleasant to be on this flight, as the craft was originally designed for one person. The goal of multi-person spaceflight was specifically set to beat its American counterpart, the Gemini program, which it managed to do.
However, the Voskhod program is best remembered for Voskhod 2, which launched on March 18, 1965. This spaceflight included the first spacewalk, or EVA (extra-vehicular activity). Unfortunately, there was a problem during its descent and the capsule hit a mountain and nearly slid off a cliff, saved only by parachute cords hooked to a nearby tree. This, a change in Soviet leadership, and the fact that the Voskhod program had achieved its two primary goals led to its cancellation in 1966.
Further plans for Voskhod included Voskhod 3, a 19-day mission to study long-term weightlessness, Voskhod 4, a 20-day mission with the same purpose, Voskhod 5, which was to be the first all-world multiperson spacecraft female and Voskhod 6, a flight to test a new EVA jet belt. None of these flights occurred, and the Russian manned space program continued under the umbrella of the Soyuz program.
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