The Soviet/Russian space program is the most advanced, largest and mature in the world. It involves a vast number of launchers and spacecrafts and other intricate space related ventures. Erstwhile USSR and now Russia has been the most prolific builder and launcher of rockets and artificial satellites. The Russian's have several firsts to their credit. The launch of Sputnik on a Vostok launcher on October 4, 1957 heralded the space age. They launched the first unmanned spacecraft to the moon. Russian space scientists launched the world's first ICBM the R-7 in 1957. The MIR space station was the forerunner to the International Space Station. But the crowning glory of all these achievements was on April 12, 1961 Senior Lieutenant Yuri Alexeyevich Gagarin (The Columbus of Cosmos) became the first earthling to escape earth's immense gravity. He orbited earth just once in the spaceship Vostok 1 (Orient or East), at an altitude of 302 kilometers for 108 minutes at 29,340 Kmph. On 16 June 1963 Valentina Tereshkova was lifted off from Tyuratam Launch Center (Baikonur Cosmodrome) on Vostok 6 to become the first woman in space. On March 18, 1965 Aleksei Leonov floated out of Voskhod 2, secured to the spacecraft by only a safety line to become the first man to perform a spacewalk. Svetlana Savitskaya on July 25, 1984 performed a extravehicular activity (EVA) or in other words a spacewalk. It was the first time a woman walked in space. Despite the current gloomy economic scenario the Russian space industry is booming with activity.