Thursday, June 15, 2006

16 June 1963: First Woman in Space

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Cosmonaut Valentina Tereshkova
On June 16, 1963 Valentina was the first woman in space with 48 orbits totaling 70 hours and 50 min.
Image source: Wikipedia


Via The History Channel Online.

On June 16, 1963, aboard Vostok 6, Soviet Cosmonaut Valentina Tereshkova becomes the first woman to travel into space. After 48 orbits and 71 hours, she returned to earth, having spent more time in space than all U.S. astronauts combined to that date.

Valentina Vladimirovna Tereshkova was born to a peasant family in Maslennikovo, Russia, in 1937. She began work at a textile factory when she was 18, and at age 22 she made her first parachute jump under the auspices of a local aviation club. Her enthusiasm for skydiving brought her to the attention of the Soviet space program, which sought to put a woman in space in the early 1960s as a means of achieving another "space first" before the United States.

More here.

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