The Central Bank of the Russian Federation has just released a silver proof commemorative coin which marks the 50th anniversary of the first man to walk in space.

On March 18, 1965, Cosmonaut Alexey Leonov exited the capsule during the Voskhod 2 mission for a 12-minute spacewalk. He became the first human to conduct extra-vehiclar activity, meaning any activity done by an astronaut or cosmonaut outside a spacecraft beyond the Earth’s appreciable atmosphere. Alexei Leonov is still alive today at the age of 80.

The obverse design of the coin features the emblem of the Bank of Russia, the two-headed eagle. The inscriptions include “БАНК РОССИИ” (BANK OF RUSSIA), “ТРИ РУБЛЯ” (THREE ROUBLES), and the year of issue 2015. The precious metal purity of .925 silver is indicated along with the fine metal content of 31.1 g.

The reverse design of the coin features an image of a cosmonaut in space tethered to a capsule against a backdrop of stars with a colored image of the earth and the sun below. The inscription reads “50 ЛЕТ СО ДНЯ ПЕРВОГО ВЫХОДА ЧЕЛОВЕКА В ОТКРЫТЫЙ КОСМОС” (THE 50TH ANNIVERSARY OF THE FIRST MAN TO WALK IN SPACE).

The coins are struck in 92.5% silver with a fine metal content of 31.1 grams and diameter of 39.0 mm. The mintage is 5,000 pieces.

Information about the coin on the Central Bank of Russia’s website can be found here.

