Filed under: Europe, Russian Federation, NewsLast week, Russia marked the 75th birthday of Russian space pioneer Valentina Tereshkova, the first woman in space. In 1963, Tereshkova orbited the earth 48 times in three days, logging more flight time than all the previous American astronauts combined, and becoming the first and only woman to travel solo in space. Before launching into space, Tereshkova exclaimed, "Hey, sky, take your hat off!" The US space program would not send a woman into space for another 20 years, when Sally Ride flew as a crew member on the Space Shuttle Challenger.
Tereshkova later married another cosmonaut, held several of the highest offices in the Soviet Union, and is revered as a hero among women and Russians. Inspired by Ms. Tereshkova? You can go inside the Russian space program this fall for a cool $14,000.
[Photo courtesy Martin Addison via Wikimedia Commons]First woman in space turns 75 originally appeared on Gadling on Tue, 13 Mar 2012 16:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.Permalink | Email this | Comments
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