Facts About Astronaut Valentina Vladimirovna Tereshkova

Valentina Tereshkova is a Soviet astronaut known for being the first woman to go into space. Valentina was born on 6th March 1937 in the village of Maslennikovo.

Facts about the first woman in space:

• She joined the Russian Air Force because she wanted to become a cosmonaut.
• Out of 400 applicants Valentina became the first woman to go into space.
• On 16th June 1963, after extensive training she was put on the Vostok 6 capsule which was sent into space. Valentina was only 26 at the time.
• Her capsule orbited the earth 48 times and stayed in space for 3 days.
• Her capsule landed on June 19, 1963 in Southern Siberia. She bruised her nose while landing her parachute.
• Valentina also has a PhD in engineering.
• Apart from being a cosmonaut and engineer, she is also a politician. Valentina held many political positions during her career.
• She retired as a Major General from the Russian Air Force in 1997.
• Valentina married a fellow astronaut in 1963 and became a mother in 1967.
• In 1982, she divorced her first husband and remarried someone else later.