Valentina Tereshkova


Valentina Vladimirovna Tereshkova (born March 6, 1937) was a cosmonaut
who flew on Vostok 6 in 1963 to become the very first woman in space.

She was born in Maslennikovo, a small village in the Yaroslavl region. After
school she worked in a tire factory, and then studied engineering. She also
trained parachuting in the local Aeroclub. In 1962 she was selected to join
the female cosmonaut corps. Out of more than four hundred applicants, five
were selected: Tatiana Kuznetsova, Irina Solov'yova, Zhanna Yerkina,
Valentina Ponomareva, and Tereshkova.

In 1963 she flew on Vostok 6, and became the first woman and first civilian
to fly into space. Even though there were plans for further female flights
it took 19 years until the second woman, Svetlana Savitskaya and flew into
space. None of the other four in Tereshkova's cosmonaut group ever flew.

After her flight she studied at the Shukowski Air Force Academy, and
graduated as cosmonaut engineer in 1969. The same year, the female cosmonaut
group was dissolved. In 1977 she received doctorate of engineering. Due to
her prominence she was chosen for several political positions: From
1966-1974 she was a member of the Supreme Soviet, from 1974-1989 in the
Presidium of the Supreme Soviet, from 1969-1991 she was in the Central
Committee of the Communist Party. In 1997 she was retired from the air force
and the cosmonaut corps by presidential order.

On November 3, 1963 she married fellow cosmonaut Andrian Nikolayev, and she
gave birth to their daugher Elena in 1964, who is now a doctor. They
divorced in 1982, even though their marriage collapsed long before. Her
second husband, Dr Shaposhnikov died in 1999.