WOMEN IN STEM: Valentina Tereshkova

Valentina Tereshkova (1937-) was a Russian astronaut who in 1963 became the first women to travel into space.  In her early life Tereshkov attended school and then started working in the textile mill in 1954. Her education was continued through correspondence courses and she learned to parachute in her spare time. This experience specifically from parachuting led to her being chosen, in 1962, for training as a cosmonaut in the Soviet space program. The Soviet space program chose four women to become cosmonauts, but only Tereshkova went into space. On June 16, 1963, Tereshkova went into space aboard Vostok 6. Upon her return, she was given the title Hero of the Soviet Union. In 1969, Tereshkova graduated with distinction from the Zhukovsky Military Air Academy. She later became a member of the Communist Party, and proceeded to represent the USSR at numerous international events, including the United Nations conference for the International Women’s Year in 1975. From 1968-1987, Tereshkova headed the Soviet Committee for Women, was pictured on postage stamps, and had a crater on the moon named after her.

Quote: “If women can be railroad workers in Russia, why can't they fly in space?”

Read more at: https://www.biography.com/people/valentina-tereshkova-022516