Since the second half of the last century, people finally began not only to look at the stars and try to understand what is happening there, but also to get out of their home planet. It cannot be said that since then we have achieved very much, since, firstly, flights are expensive, and there are enough dangers in space. Radiation, for example, various changes in the body, and so on. Science has not yet reached the point of providing the cosmonauts with maximum convenience and comfort, and over the years, earthlings have not visited the Moon. So far, the only plans are an expedition to Mars, which, most likely, will also be one-way. Nevertheless, space travel is perceived as a significant phenomenon.
This is not an ordinary thing, already because astronauts have to endure a lot on board, as well as when going into outer space. At the same time, it should be noted that this profession is mainly a man's business. Women are much less likely to be in space. However, their flights are no less significant than those of men, they also conduct scientific work on board and contribute to the development of this industry. On June 16, 1963, the first woman-cosmonaut Valentina Tereshkova flew, which, in fact, is another proof. Who from the USSR and Russia have been in space during all this time?
Valentina Tereshkova
Speaking about women-cosmonauts, one cannot, of course, fail to recall the main heroine of the Soviet Union in this matter - Valentina Tereshkova. True, with her flight, not everything was as perfect as we would like. After that first time, the next Soviet citizen went into space 19 years later. Some media even claimed that the leadership of the USSR then disappointed with the way Tereshkova's flight took place, and some developers directly said that they no longer see women in space.
The heroine herself denies this in an interview, although she admits that during this action everything did not go as smoothly as she would like. Actually, first of all, Valentina Tereshkova was not only just the first woman cosmonaut, but also the face of Soviet cosmonautics. Then there was a "race of achievements" between the USA and the USSR, and in the course of this each country tried to be the first to achieve something in order to "drive away" the opponent.
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The Soviet Union managed to do this, in particular, in the case of Valentina Tereshkova. Before her, no one from other countries from women flew into space. After landing, she was made a real heroine of the state, assigned a large number of various kinds of awards, and so on. Valentina Tereshkova became just a symbol, because she received the most attention.
At the same time, according to some media reports, she was not an ideal candidate for the role of the first Soviet cosmonaut. As a result of the most difficult casting, five ladies were selected: Zhanna Erkina, Tatyana Kuznetsova, Valentina Ponomareva, Irina Solovyova and Valentina Tereshkova. Then they went through a series of tests and trainings. Valentina Ponomareva became the leader here, but she was not hired for two reasons. Firstly, the candidate had a son, and no one was confident that the flight would really go well, even now accidents happen, let alone the 60s. Secondly, a woman from the people was needed, in the style of Nina from the "Caucasian Captive", that is, so that "an athlete, a Komsomol member and just a beauty." It was Tereshkova who fit this definition with the simple work of a weaver and the position of the released secretary of the Komsomol.
The flight was also not without troubles. The Erzats food was not finalized, and the first Soviet cosmonaut was downright sick from it. It is not known why, but during all the training sessions she was never taught to eat properly during the flight. Secondly, Valentina Tereshkova almost flew into open space without any preparation. The program was set somehow incorrectly, and the cosmonaut, who noticed this during the flight, had to change it practically during this action, having given the appropriate request.
Now Valentina Tereshkova is already 80 years old. She left cosmonautics a long time ago, in fact, after that first flight, she never made another one, but she is still full of strength and energy. In an interview two months ago, she even stated that she was ready to volunteer to fly to Mars, despite her years. Tereshkova also recalls the flight itself with nostalgia and the fact that she saw the Earth from the side, claiming that this is an indescribable sensation for every cosmonaut.
Svetlana Savitskaya
Svetlana Savitskaya is a combat pilot, an athlete who has set three records in parachute jumping from the stratosphere. She flew jet aircraft, won competitions since 1970 piston piloting and so on. She definitely had a very good preparation. Svetlana Savitskaya visited space twice - on August 19, 1982 and on July 17, 1984.
The flights were quite calm, which was facilitated by the fact that she flew not alone, like Valentina Tereshkova, but as part of the crews. During the second, Svetlana Savitskaya became the first woman to walk into outer space. The duration of her stay outside the spacecraft was 3 hours and 35 minutes.
Elena Kondakova
Elena Kondakova set the record for the longest stay of a woman in space. She flew there twice - in the fall of 1994, returning to Earth in the spring of 1995, and in the spring of 1997. The first flight made up those record numbers - 169 days, 5 hours and 35 seconds.
Elena Serova
Elena Serova became the first Russian woman to visit the ISS. In 2006, she was admitted to the post of test cosmonaut from the RSC Energia detachment. In 2014, she became a flight engineer for the Soyuz TMA-14M vessel, returning to Earth on March 12, 2015 and spending a total of about 169 days on the ISS.
More representatives of Russia have not yet flown into space. Among the current squad there is Anna Kikina, but at the moment she was not included in the crew, and there are no other women, as active cosmonauts, on the lists at all.
Irina Letinskaya
