June 16 will mark the 50th anniversary of when Valentina Tereshkova became the first woman to fly into outer space.
June 16 will mark the 50th anniversary of when Valentina Tereshkova became the first woman to fly into outer space.
Preparations for the Vostok-6 space mission lasted from January until May 1963, during which time Tereshkova trained alongside other members of the female cosmonaut corps, namely Irina Solovyova, Valentina Ponomaryova and Zhanna Yorkina. It was Tereshkova who was nominated as the primary candidate for Vostok-6.
Tereshkova’s spaceflight lasted from June 16 to 19, 1963. She served as commander of the Vostok-6 spacecraft on a joint mission with Vostok-5, which carried a male cosmonaut, Valery Bykovsky. Her call sign for the flight was Chaika (Seagull). The flight lasted 2 days, 22 hours, and 50 minutes, during which Tereshkova orbited the earth 48 times.
Photo: Yury Gagarin, the first man in space, and Valentina Tereshkova on the eve of her spaceflight.
Photo: Yury Gagarin, the first man in space, and Valentina Tereshkova on the eve of her spaceflight.
Tereshkova’s relatives welcoming her back from her spaceflight.
Valentina Tereshkova was married twice. Her first husband was Soviet pilot and cosmonaut Andriyan Nikolayev, whom she married on November 3, 1963. Tereshkova had a double surname, Nikolayeva-Tereshkova, until they divorced in 1982.
In 1964, Tereshkova gave birth to Yelena, who was the first person to have both a mother and father who had traveled into space.
Photo: Soviet pilot and cosmonaut Valentina Tereshkova with her daughter, Yelena, and Tanya Titova, daughter of cosmonaut Gherman Titov.
Photo: Soviet pilot and cosmonaut Valentina Tereshkova with her daughter, Yelena, and Tanya Titova, daughter of cosmonaut Gherman Titov.
Upon reaching the age of compulsory retirement in 1997, Tereshkova left the cosmonaut corps and the military as a major general.
Since 1966, Tereshkova has been actively involved in public and community service initiatives.
Photo: Pilot and cosmonaut Valentina Tereshkova (right) and Japanese actress and film director Yoshiko Okada by the Black Sea in Crimea.
Photo: Pilot and cosmonaut Valentina Tereshkova (right) and Japanese actress and film director Yoshiko Okada by the Black Sea in Crimea.
Valentina Tereshkova with her daughter, Yelena.
Valentina Tereshkova chaired the Soviet Women’s Committee from 1968 to 1987.
Valentina Tereshkova has been awarded the title of honorary citizen by 18 cities in Russia and abroad. A lunar crater, a minor planet, and streets in a number of cities have been named after Tereshkova. A bronze bust was placed in Moscow in the Space Heroes Alley to honor the first female cosmonaut.
