First Spacewalk by a Woman

On 25/07/1984, Soviet cosmonaut Svetlana Savitskaya became the first woman to perform a spacewalk, stepping outside the Salyut 7 space station during the Soyuz T-12 mission. The extravehicular activity (EVA) lasted 3 hours and 35 minutes and was conducted alongside mission commander Vladimir Dzhanibekov. Savitskaya had launched aboard Soyuz T-12 on 17/07/1984 as a flight engineer, marking her second journey into space after her earlier mission in 1982. During the EVA, the crew carried out a series of technical experiments using a specialized tool known as the Universalny Rabochy Instrument (URI). This device was designed for cutting, welding, soldering, and brazing in the vacuum of space. The cosmonauts tested these capabilities on metal samples including titanium and stainless steel, demonstrating that such industrial processes could be performed effectively in microgravity conditions. The spacewalk provided practical data on working with materials outside a spacecraft and contributed to the development of future in-orbit construction and repair techniques. It also confirmed that astronauts could safely perform complex and physically demanding tasks while wearing pressurized spacesuits in open space. Savitskaya’s participation in Soyuz T-12 also made her the first woman to travel to space twice. Her EVA marked a continuation of milestones achieved by women in space exploration, following Valentina Tereshkova’s first spaceflight in 1963.