- Born
- Birth nameValentina Vladimirovna Tereshkova
- Nicknames
- Valya
- Miss Universe
- Valentina Tereshkova is a Soviet cosmonaut No. 6, 10th cosmonaut in the world, the world's first female cosmonaut, Hero of the Soviet Union (1963). In 1945, Valentina entered secondary school in Yaroslavl (now named after Tereshkova). Since childhood, she demonstrated a good ear for music, learned to play the domra. In 1953, she finished seven grades of school and, to help her family, went to work at the Yaroslavl Tire Plant as a bracelet maker in the assembly and vulcanization shop in the preparatory operation. There she operated a diagonal-cutting machine. At the same time, she studied in the evening classes of the school for working youth. From April 1955, she worked for seven years as a weaver at the Krasnyy Perekop technical fabrics factory, where her mother and older sister also worked. From 1959, she was involved in parachute sports at the Yaroslavl Aeroclub, and made 90 jumps. From 1955 to 1960, she completed correspondence courses at the technical school of light industry.
On March 12, 1962, Valentina Tereshkova was enrolled in the cosmonaut corps and began training as a cosmonaut-listener of the 2nd detachment. On November 29, 1962, she passed her final exams in OKP with excellent marks. From December 1, 1962, Tereshkova was a cosmonaut of the 1st detachment of the 1st department. From June 16, 1963, that is, immediately after the flight, she became an instructor-cosmonaut of the 1st detachment and held this position until March 14, 1966.
Tereshkova made the world's first flight of a female cosmonaut on June 16, 1963, on the Vostok-6 spacecraft. It lasted almost three days. The launch took place at Baikonur not from the Gagarin site, but from a backup one. At the same time, the Vostok-5 spacecraft, piloted by cosmonaut Valery Bykovsky, was in orbit.
After completing her space flight, Tereshkova entered the N.E. Zhukovskiy Air Force Engineering Academy and, having graduated with honors, later became a candidate of technical sciences, professor, and author of more than 50 scientific papers.
- IMDb mini biography by: Tango Papa
- SpousesAndriyan Nikolayev(November 3, 1963 - 1982) (divorced, 1 child)Yuliy Shaposhnikov(? - 1999) (his death)
- ChildrenElena Tereshkova (Nikolaeva)
- ParentsVladimir TereshkovElena Kruglova
- RelativesLyudmila Tereshkova(Sibling)Vladimir Tereshkov(Sibling)
- First woman to travel in space, 16 - 19 June 1963.
- Her ex-husband, Andriyan Nikolayev, also a Russian astronaut, had a heart attack while judging the All Russian Rural Sports Games in Cheboksary, Russia on 6 July 2004. He was taken to a local hospital and died that same day. He was 74 years old.
- Her call sign was 'Chaika' (Seagull).
- She told reporters in 2013 that engineers had made a mistake in designing the ship's controls, which would have left her stranded if she hadn't noticed it in time. "It was programmed to raise the orbit instead of landing. I put the new data in and it worked fine." An engineer had disclosed the glitch in 1993.
- She went on to an official career, holding various jobs and honorary titles. She holds a Parliament seat, serving as deputy chairman of the foreign affairs committee in the lower house.
- Take off your hat, sky, I'm coming! [shouted as her spacecraft blasted off]
- When I ejected, I was overcome with a quiet horror - There was a lake below me. My first thought: My God, they sent one woman, and she's going to end up in the water.
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