cosmonaut (Russian astronaut) in 1961. African American physicist and astronaut Ronald McNair was one of the seven crew members killed in the 1986 Space Shuttle 'Challenger' explosion. Tereshkova, after her flight, continued as an aerospace engineer in the https://www.biography.com/astronaut/valentina-tereshkova. She was born in a small village called Bolshoye Maslennikovo in western Russia. Mae C. Jemison is the first African American female astronaut. Affectionately known as the “First Lady of Space,” Valentina Vladiminirovna "Valya" Tereshkova was born in a small village outside Moscow where she was a textile factory assembly … The opportunity given to Tereshkova was used as a marketing ploy to keep the appearance of an egalitarian society, when the truth was that they weren’t considered to be the same, not in the home setting nor in regards to the flight opportunities. Tereshkova was even given the title of the Hero of the Soviet Union and was decorated by Brezhnev himself. strive for new goals. Tereshkova and her teammate Bykovsky were celebrated all over the Soviet Union upon their return. Red Square, a large plaza in Moscow used for official celebrations. Of the four women selected, only Valentina Tereshkova completed a space mission. How beautiful it is! Discover the real story, facts, and details of Valentina Tereshkova. Soviet cosmonaut Valentina Tereshkova was born in the Yaroslavl Region of Russia on March 6, 1937. As part of a peasant family which had already lost the head of the family, Vladimir Tereshkov, to war, Valentina along with her brothers and sisters were raised by her mother Elena who worked in a textile plant. into Earth's atmosphere. Valentina Tereshkova Short Biography. At the same She was a Deputy to the Supreme Soviet between 1966 and 1989, and a People's Deputy from 1989 to 1991. For decades, Valentina Tereshkova represented to Russia a version of the Soviet dream: born in poverty, raised during the decade that forged a national identity, and ascendant to the stars, figuratively and literally. Soviet In between the years 1966 and 1991, Valentina remained an active member of the USSR Supreme Soviet. Monuments, schools and museums have been named after her to honour her achievement. She was given the ‘Russian Federation State Prize’ for her outstanding work in humanitarian field. In 1959 Tereshkova joined the Yaroslavl Air Sports Club and became a We strive for accuracy and fairness. © 2020 Biography and the Biography logo are registered trademarks of A&E Television Networks, LLC. P.M. promoting Soviet science and feminism. Tereshkova was only 24 when she volunteered for the space program. After about 18 months in the program, with just one month training in the space craft, she spent three days aloft before returning safely to earth. In just under three days, she orbited the earth 48 times. The tests conducted during the flight showed that women are actually even better equipped than men when it comes to tolerating gravitational forces. Tereshkova headed the USSR's International Cultural and Friendship Union from 1987 to 1991, and subsequently chaired the Russian Association of International Cooperation. Although she dedicated much of her time after the flight to spreading feminist values across the world, and was praised for her efforts, the Soviet Union wasn’t as kind to her and other female astronauts as one would conclude. Her father was a tractor driver and her mother worked in a textile plant. Copyright 2010 The Gale Group, Inc. All rights reserved. Tereshkova orbited the earth 48 times in 70.8 hours—just under three days. 5 Facts To Know About The Future Of Buddhism, Reasons Why Muslims Are The World’s Fastest-growing Religious Group, The Uprising At Sobibor Extermination Camp. She was the second born of three children. #8: Nearly 55 years after her flight aboard the Vostok 6 spacecraft, which lifted off from the Baikonur Cosmodrome on June 16, 1963, Their daughter, Yelena Adrianovna Nikolayeva, was born on June 8, 1964. She worked for Soviet Women’s Committee for several years, and then worked as a member of ‘Supreme Soviet Presidium’. Tereshkova and Nikolayev divorced in 1980. This biography provides detailed information regarding her childhood… Tereshkova took off from the Tyuratam Space Station in the Vostok VI in 1963, and orbited the Earth for almost three days, showing women had the same resistance to space as men. Born on 6 March 1937, in Maslennikovo, Russia, U.S.S.R, Valentina Vladimirovna Tereshkova a Soviet cosmonaut, was the first woman to travel to space on 16 June 1963. How Many People Have Ever Lived On Earth? Tereshkova's flight confirmed Soviet test results that women had the same resistance as men to the physical and psychological stresses of space. Vostok VI. tractor driver and her mother worked in a textile plant. This, obviously, had nothing to do with the Soviet Union being feminist-oriented but rather with the competition with the United States, where each of them wanted to be the first in as many things possible connected to space exploration. Valentina was also awarded the Gold Star ‘Hero of Socialist Labour’. Valentina Vladimirovna "Valya" Tereshkova was born on March 6, 1937, in the Volga River village of Maslennikovo. By continuing, you agree to our (By way of comparison, Yuri Gagarin, the first man in space, orbited the earth once; and the four American astronauts who flew before Tereshkova orbited a total of 36 times.) Valentina Tereshkova Biography, Life, Interesting Facts. When she was two years old, father was killed fighting in World War II. culture. At the same time I strongly feel that no work done by a woman in the field of science or culture or whatever, however vigourous or demanding, can enter into conflict with her ancient 'wonderful mission'—to love, to be loved—and with her craving for the bliss of motherhood. Meanwhile, she was a member of the Supreme Soviet Presidium from 1974 to 1989. Nikolayev, who had orbited the earth sixty-four times in 1962 in the American journal Valentina helped her mother at home and Soon after starting work in a textile mill at the age of 18, she joined an amateur parachuting club. Tereshkova summarized her views on women and science in her 1970 "Women in Space" article in the American journal Impact of Science on Society: "I believe a woman should always remain a woman and nothing feminine should be alien to her. In 1955, she joined her mother and sister as a loom operator at the mill; meanwhile, she graduated by correspondence courses from the Light Industry Technical School. StarChild Graphics & Music: Acknowledgments Doctors, who were fearful of her parents' space exposure, As official records state, Valentina Tereshkova became the first ever woman in the world to be a part of an active astronaut team and was sent into space on June 16, 1963. Russians used the female cosmonauts for publicity purposes to show how and parachute jumps. On June 22 at the Kremlin she was named a Hero of the Soviet Union and was decorated by Presidium Chairman Leonid Brezhnev with the Order of Lenin and the Gold Star Medal. A symbol of emancipated Soviet feminism, she toured the world as a goodwill ambassador promoting the equality of the sexes in the Soviet Union, receiving a standing ovation at the United Nations. After her When she returned from her voyage—parachuting from her space craft to earth from 20,000 feet—Tereshkova was given the title Hero of the Soviet Union. Sharpe, Mitchell R. goodwill ambassador, promoting the equality of the sexes in the Soviet During the 70.8 hour flight, Vostok 6 Europe that pitted Great Britain, France, the United States, and the Later when she worked in a tire factory and cotton mill, she took correspondence courses and received a graduate degree from Light Industry Technical School. American astronauts who had been in space before this flight had a She took inspiration from Yuri Gagarin and volunteered for the space program organized by the Soviet government. Curator: J.D. raised Valentina, her brother Vladimir, and her sister Ludmilla in