In our modern times, more and more women aim to be part of space missions which used to be dominated by men in the past. As the aspiring women gear up for future space travels, they draw their inspiration from the life of Valentina Vladimirovna Tereshkova who, in 1963, travelled the outer space on a solo mission.
Who Is Valentina Vladimirovna Tereshkova?
Valentina Vladimirovna Tereshkova was only 26 years old when she boarded a spacecraft named Vostok 6 in June 16, 1963. By June 19, she returned after completing 48 orbits around the Earth in 70.8 hours. This made her the first and youngest woman to enter space.
Tereshkova did not have any pilot training related to space missions. Prior to being a cosmonaut, she used to work in a textile company. She was only able to enter the Soviet space program because of her parachute skills. Since 1959, she has taken up parachuting as a hobby and by the year 1961, she had made 125 skydiving experiences in different aircrafts.
Five women were selected in the program to undergo 18 months of training. Vostok 6 aimed to study the reaction of a female body to spaceflight, particularly on the effects of an environment with zero gravity. In the end, Tereshkova was selected to pioneer the mission.
While boarding the spacecraft, Tereshkova performed major functions such as manually handling the vehicle, taking photographs, and maintaining the log. The images she collected were later used in determining the layers of aerosol in the atmosphere.
In this dual space mission, Tereshkova was selected along with another Soviet cosmonaut Valeriy Bykovsky. He operated the Vostok 5 launched on June 14, 1963, and set the record for the longest solo spaceflight.
The female cosmonaut encountered some challenges during her trip. During her landing, Vostok 6 had a navigation software error which caused it to move away from the Earth. However, Tereshkova was able to handle the situation calmly. A new landing algorithm was developed to solve the technical issue and Tereshkova was able to land safely. She received the title Hero of the Soviet Union upon her return from her space voyage.
In 1968, Tereshkova directed the Soviet Women's Committee. The following year, she graduated from Zhukovsky Air Force Engineering Academy, but she never travelled into space again. Instead, she worked in the Supreme Soviet Presidium from 1974 to 1991 and remained politically active before and after the Soviet Union collapsed.
Future Missions With All-Women Crew
According to a study conducted by the European Space Agency in May 2023, it was revealed that women are more efficient when it comes to space explorations. This is due to the fact that when compared to their male counterparts, female astronauts require less amount of water for hydration, consume less oxygen, and have lower metabolic heat production.
The result of the study suggests sending space exploration missions in the future composed of an all-female crew. This is considered to be another breakthrough in space industry since only a handful of women are involved in space journey till date.
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