Valentina Tereshkova
Tereshkova was the first woman to travel into space. On June 16,
1963, her Vostok capsule entered orbit to join Valery F. Bykovsky,
who had been launched two days earlier in Vostok 5.
Tereshkova had no pilot training, but was an accomplished amateur
parachutist and had volunteered for the cosmonaut program in 1961.
Vostok was her first, and last mission. She married Andriyan G.
Nikolayev, another cosmonaut, in 1963 and worked as an active member
of the U.S.S.R. Supreme Soviet. For her service to the state and
achievements in space, she was named Hero of the Soviet Union and
was twice awarded the Order of Lenin.
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