Post #2314

👩‍🚀 On March 6, 1937, world’s first female cosmonaut Valentina Tereshkova was born. To this day, she remains the youngest woman to travel into space, as well as the only woman who flew to the Earth’s orbit alone. She was only 26 years old back at the time of her historic flight. From a young age, Valentina was interested in aviation and parachuting, which helped her join the cosmonaut corps in 1962. She underwent difficult training, learning how to pilot a spaceship and passing endurance tests. After completing her training, she was selected for a flight under the Vostok programme. On June 16, 1963, Valentina Tereshkova set off on her historic journey on board the Vostok-6 spacecraft. Her mission lasted just under three days, in which she orbited the Earth 48 times. 💬 Tereshkova recalled her impressions on board: Every 90 minutes I saw the dawn, the sun rising in a unique array of colours. Despite all the difficulties, including severe fatigue and waning health, Tereshkova successfully completed her mission and returned safely to Earth. Valentina even managed to take a series of photographs of the horizon, which were later used to identify aerosol layers within the atmosphere. Tereshkova’s space flight was a global sensation. Western media hailed it as another success of the Soviet space programme. For the United States, the USSR’s main rival in the space race, it was inconceivable. The American space agency did not take the idea of a woman flying into space seriously at the time. 🎖 Valentina Tereshkova boarded the spaceship as a lieutenant, and returned to Earth with the rank of captain. Three days after the landing, she was also awarded the title of Hero of the Soviet Union. A Soviet woman’s flight to the orbit reaffirmed the Soviet Union’s leadership in space exploration and inspired millions of girls in our country and abroad. 🎊 We wish Valentina Tereshkova a very happy birthday. All the best to our iconic cosmonaut, and may you stay in good health and have strength for new achievements.