Valentina Vladimirovna Tereshkova wrote her name in golden letters in the history of astronautics. Indeed, a human flight into outer space is by no means an ordinary event that can impress the whole world. Especially if this cosmonaut is a fragile woman, such a step in the eyes of the public looks akin to a feat!
The future world celebrity was born in the village of Maslennikovo, Tutaevsky district, Yaroslavl region, on March 6, 1937. Her family was completely absorbed in work in the field Agriculture. Valya's father, Vladimir Aksenovich Tereshkov, realized himself in the difficult work of a tractor driver. My mother worked on a collective farm, in a textile factory.
Valentina Tereshkova in her youth
Tereshkova’s childhood was quite difficult, as it occurred during the war years, when trouble, devastation and despair reigned all around. And taking into account the fact that in 1939 her father died at the front during the Soviet-Finnish military conflict, the future celebrity then experienced a very difficult period of life.
Little Valyusha first went to school in 1945, just after the victorious end of the Great Patriotic War. Patriotic War. But given the rather difficult financial situation in her family, in 1955, immediately after finishing the seventh grade, she was forced to leave school and get a job at a tire production plant located in the city of Yaroslavl.
However, the girl still finished high school, having entered the evening department, the general program of which in those days was comprehended by the majority of Soviet people.
It so happened, perhaps even by the will of fate, that at the age of 17 Tereshkova signed up and willingly went to the Yaroslavl flying club. She liked parachute jumping, which was often practiced there. In total, Valentina Vladimirovna completed 163 jumps from an airplane, which is a very respectable figure, especially for a woman. Tereshkova even received sports category for success in parachuting.
Parachuting was so successful in attracting Valentina Vladimirovna’s attention that she could no longer stop doing it. And it was thanks to this hobby that her difficult and rather thorny path to the cosmonaut team began.
After successfully completing evening school, Valentina enters extramural technical school light industry. Here the training process lasted 5 years, from 1955 to 1960.
Having entered the Krasny Perekop enterprise in 1960, Tereshkova immediately became a secretary Komsomol organization. I was able to successfully work in this position for two years.
Back in 1962, the famous rocket and space technology designer Sergei Korolev first voiced the idea of sending a woman to conquer outer space. This idea was approved at the level of the top leadership of the then ruling communist party.
Afterwards, a thorough search began for the most suitable candidate to translate this bold plan into reality.
However, the process of choosing a female astronaut was quite difficult. Basic requirements were presented to all participants: the candidate must be involved in parachuting, her height must be up to 170 centimeters, and her weight must not exceed 70 kilograms.
Five girls were initially selected as the main cosmonaut candidates, among whom was Tereshkova. All the girls began daily grueling training, during which it became clear that Valentina Tereshkova was the most suitable candidate for space flight.
And then June 16, 1963 came - a landmark day for Tereshkova. It was then that she launched off on board the Vostok-6 spacecraft towards the unknown and mysterious expanses of space. The flight took more than two days and all this time Valentina was in a state of weightlessness, having completed 48 orbits around planet Earth!
At the end of the program, the Vostok-6 spacecraft landed in the Bayevsky district Altai Territory. For so much high achievement in the field of astronautics, as well as for the perseverance and perseverance demonstrated to the whole world in achieving the intended goal, Tereshkova received honorary title"Hero Soviet Union" In addition, the first female cosmonaut in history was awarded the Order of Lenin, as well as the Gold Star medal.
Until the last moment, Valentina Vladimirovna’s family could not imagine that she would be able to conquer space! They could only hear the news about Tereshkova’s grandiose flight, which excited the entire public, on the radio!
The astronaut tried to hide her true intentions from them, saying that she was going to a skydiving competition. As the astronaut herself later admitted, the motive for her actions was dictated by the fact that she was afraid of the experiences of her loved ones, and therefore tried to protect them from these emotions.
In the history of world cosmonautics, Tereshkova’s flight became the only case when a woman alone was able to carry out such an extraordinary act!
Living ordinary earthly life, Tereshkova in 1963 married Andriyan Grigorievich Nikolaev, at that time also a famous cosmonaut. Soon, in 1964, they had a daughter, Elena. However, 1974 became a year of separation for Valentina Vladimirovna and Nikolaev, the family broke up, the couple divorced. She remarried Yuli Shaposhnikov, who died in 1999.
After her famous flight, Tereshkova worked as an instructor in the field of astronautics and was a spacecraft tester. In 1964 she entered the Zhukovsky Air Force Academy, and in 1969 she graduated with honors, which included the profession of “pilot-cosmonaut-engineer”.
During her studies, Valentina Vladimirovna was able to write more than 50 scientific papers in her specialization.
However, since 1966, Tereshkova has been actively immersed in community work. Thanks to her, the cosmonaut was able to receive a huge number of different awards and was awarded many recognitions both in the Soviet Union and far beyond its borders.
In the period from 1968 to 1987, Valentina Vladimirovna worked in the high position of Chairman of the Committee Soviet women. After this, Tereshkova takes the post of head of the Presidium of the Union Soviet society friendship and culture of connection with foreign countries, where she worked until 1992.
Since 1992, Tereshkova has been the main presidium of the Russian Association international cooperation, and already in 1995, Valentina Vladimirovna became the chairman of the Interdepartmental Council for coordinating the activities of Russian science centers.
The dream of going to space has not left humanity for centuries. On April 12, 1961, it was destined to come true - Yuri Gagarin made his first flight. After the successful flights of Soviet cosmonauts, Sergei Korolev came up with the idea of launching a female cosmonaut into space. This was Valentina Tereshkova, who flew into space on June 16, 1963 on the Vostok-6 spacecraft.
We want to remember her significant space mission.
Medical examination of Valentina Tereshkova.
The first space flights took place in harsh conditions competition between the USSR and the USA. Both superpowers worked to ensure that their ships plowed the expanses of the Universe. But, as you know, the palm in this matter belonged to the Soviet Union. After the debut “male” flight, the Americans had only one trump card left - to prepare a “female” flight. But even here the Soviet cosmonauts were ahead of them. As soon as the Country of Soviets received information about the preparation of the American “women’s team,” Nikita Khrushchev personally insisted that a competitive selection be held among Soviet women as well.
There were many contenders for the role of the woman who would be the first to go into space. Anyone would envy such a scale modern competitions beauty: out of 800 participants in the competition, 30 made it to the finals. They began to be prepared for the decisive flight. During the preparation process, the five best candidates were selected, and Valentina Tereshkova was by no means the first in this ranking. In terms of medical indicators, she ranked last.
The girls went through difficult tests: they were placed in extreme high temperatures and into rooms with high humidity, they had to try themselves in zero-gravity conditions and learn to ground themselves on the water by jumping with a parachute (training was needed for landing during the landing of a spacecraft). Psychological testing was also carried out: it was important to understand how comfortable women would be while in space (by the way, Tereshkova’s experience was unique in that she was in space for almost three days alone, all later flights were made by a duo).
The decision about who would fly into space was made personally by Khrushchev. The story of Valentina Tereshkova perfectly fit the ideal of a “girl from the people” who achieved everything through her own labor. Valentina had simple family, she herself was born in a village and worked at a weaving factory, she had never practiced parachute jumping professionally, she had less than 100 jumps in total. In a word, the heroine from the people fully corresponded to the desired ideal.
Tereshkova's spacecraft was launched on June 16, 1963. She flew on the Vostok-6 ship. Valentina Tereshkova can rightfully be called a heroine, since during the flight she encountered a huge amount difficulties, but survived all the trials with dignity. The main problem it turned out bad feeling: nausea, lethargy, drowsiness - I had to fight with all this. It was even recorded that Valentina stopped responding to requests from Earth: it turned out that she simply fell asleep from overwork. Only Valery Bykovsky, another Soviet cosmonaut who was in orbit at that time, was able to wake her up. There was an internal connection between their ships, through which the astronauts could communicate.
However, the most terrible test, about which the official authorities were silent for a long time, was a malfunction in the mechanism of Tereshkova’s ship. Instead of landing on Earth, she risked flying into space and dying. Miraculously, Gagarin, who was monitoring the flight, managed to figure out how to correct the situation, and Valentina Tereshkova was still able to return.
Yuri Gagarin and Valentina Tereshkova.
Landing in the Altai region turned out to be difficult. Exhausted female astronaut literally fell on her head local residents. Tired and exhausted, she gladly changed into the clothes brought to her, exposing her body, which had turned into a continuous hematoma from the spacesuit, and also tasted peasant food - potatoes, kvass and bread. For this, she later received a reprimand from Sergei Korolev himself, because by doing so she violated the purity of the experiment.
For many years after Valentina Tereshkova’s flight, Soviet women did not go into space - too many difficulties arose during the flight due to “ individual characteristics female body." But the name of the first Soviet female cosmonaut is forever inscribed in world history!
Her name was Chaika. This was her call sign in space. And on Earth, on the roof of her house there is a weather vane in the shape of this bird. Her mansion is located next to Star City. At one time, she was able to make a space flight alone. She is Valentina Tereshkova. Read the article for details of this fragile woman’s flight into space.
Difficult war childhood
The biography of Valentina Tereshkova began in the spring of 1937 in one of the villages of the Yaroslavl province. Her parents were from Belarus. The astronaut’s mother worked at a textile factory, and her father was a tractor driver. Unfortunately, her dad died during the Soviet-Finnish conflict. Accordingly, the entire household and raising three children fell on the mother’s shoulders. Moreover, the Great Patriotic War began soon.
Undoubtedly, little Valya’s childhood turned out to be very difficult. Devastation and despair reigned in the country.
When this terrible war ended, the future cosmonaut went to first grade. She studied quite well. In addition, she had a good ear for music. That is why she started learning to play the domra.
However, when she finished seventh grade, she had to go to evening school. She was forced to help her mother and earn money. Thus, young Valentina moved to Yaroslavl and got a job at a tire factory there.
When she graduated from high school, she entered the light industry technical school. Of course, within these walls I studied science in absentia, like most young people in those days.
Aeroclub in Yaroslavl
Having become a student, Valentina began attending the city flying club on weekends. This establishment practiced parachute jumping. And she really liked these classes.
In total, the future cosmonaut performed more than 160 jumps. By and large, this was a solid indicator, especially for the fairer sex. Valentina was even given a sports rank.
In fact, she could no longer imagine herself without parachuting. And thanks to this hobby, he joined the team of space explorers.
In the cosmonaut corps
After graduating from technical school, which happened in 1960, Valentina got a job at a factory called Krasny Perekop. In addition to the direct work process, she headed the Komsomol organization there.
In a word, her life and career seemed to develop according to the standard scenario for a Soviet person. However, chance intervened in this story. The fact is that in 1962, academician Sergei Korolev intended to send a woman into space. Of course, this idea was also approved by members of the Central Committee of the first Soviet state, including Secretary General Nikita Khrushchev.
To implement the bold plan, the project leaders began to look for a suitable candidate. Let us note right away that there were a lot of people who wanted to go into space. Space industry workers had to search for applicants from hundreds of possible candidates.
At the same time, strict requirements were imposed on all participants in the selection. Representatives of the fairer sex should weigh no more than 70 kg, height - 170 cm. In addition, these girls should have a decent number of parachute jumps to their credit.
There was another important circumstance. When making their selection, leaders took into account a number of aspects of ideological and political literacy. They also considered the candidates' ability for public activity. As a discharger parachuting and the head of the factory Komsomol organization Tereshkova, in principle, was an ideal contender. She fit all the criteria. In a word, she was considered an ideologically reliable person.
As a result, five girls were chosen for a female-piloted space flight. Of course, Tereshkova was among them. All of them were officially called up to army service. They became privates and began to train hard. And the conditions during the classes were quite harsh. Let's say they had to spend ten whole days in an isolation cell.
They say that the project managers ultimately chose Tatyana Morozycheva. By the way, Valentina trained with her at a Yaroslavl club. And she made more parachute jumps than Tereshkova.
Be that as it may, members of the last medical commission found out that Tatyana was pregnant. Thus, it finally became clear that Valentina would go into space after all.
Flight
When she realized that she would soon find herself in space, she tried to hide her plans from her family. She said then that she was going to leave for the next skydiving competition.
So what year did Valentina Tereshkova fly? The event took place in the middle of summer 1963. Her call sign was Chaika. The launch of Vostok-6 went without any problems. Valentina Tereshkova's first flight into space lasted more than two days. During this time, the device made 48 orbits around the Earth.
The woman endured the space voyage quite poorly. Valentina Tereshkova's flight duration in space is 70 hours. But they turned out to be literally hell for her.
As it turned out, in automatic program Vostok-6 was inaccurate. The fact is that the ship was oriented somewhat differently than it should have been. And Tereshkova was not approaching the planet at all, but moving away from it. She felt nauseous and dizzy. At the same time, the spacesuit was not allowed to be removed. On the second day of the flight, my shin started to hurt.
Valentina Tereshkova was forced to sharply limit her movements in space. She sat practically motionless. However, she still managed to put new data into the computer. By the way, she did not tell anyone about this emergency except the flight directors. Actually, Korolev himself then asked her to remain silent.
The problems that the astronaut had had an explanation in terms of physiology. They say that when the medical commission examined her before the flight, the results were very bad. However, on Khrushchev’s instructions, she was allowed to go on the flight.
Be that as it may, despite her physical condition during the flight into space, Valentina Vladimirovna Tereshkova was able to withstand all the tests. She managed not only to regularly keep a journal on board, but also to take photographs. Subsequently, these images were useful in further space travel. In a word, she held on and sent exclusively positive reports to Earth.
Landing
The spacecraft landed in Altai. True, when Valentina Tereshkova (1963) ejected after a flight into space, she hit her helmet very hard. She received a large bruise on her temple and cheek. As a result, when she was found, she was practically unconscious.
She was urgently brought to the capital and hospitalized. And a little later, doctors reported that the life and health of the first female cosmonaut was out of danger.
When she finally came to her senses, the newsreel staff managed to do some stage photography. As if after the flight into space, Valentina Tereshkova (date of event - June 16, 1963) was in the apparatus. Extras ran towards him. Then they opened the lid and saw a cheerful and smiling Tereshkova. These images then flew around the entire planet.
Subsequently, as a reward, Tereshkova was given a three-room apartment in her homeland, in Yaroslavl. She lived here for almost three years, after which she finally settled in the capital.
Woman symbol
The seagull actually returned from space as a female symbol. Representatives of the fairer sex began to imitate her. They did haircuts like Tereshkova. Appeared in stores wrist watch with the name "Seagull".
Party leaders constantly invited her to Kremlin receptions. A row public organizations included her in the meetings.
The government awarded her, in addition to the Hero star, prestigious awards. She became the only one in Soviet army a female general. In addition, she became a hero in such republics as Mongolia and Bulgaria.
She also received the title " The greatest woman twentieth century." A small planet, streets in cities, the Evpatoria embankment, a square in Tver, city schools, a museum and a planetarium were named in her honor. In addition, one of the lunar craters was named after her.
Public figure
After her flight into space, Valentina Tereshkova (the date of the event is already known to you) began working as an instructor and spacecraft tester.
Two years later she began studying at the Air Force Academy and five years later she received a honors diploma.
During her studies, she wrote almost fifty working papers on this specialization. But since 1966 she has been actively involved in social activities. She became a deputy Supreme Council Soviet Union. She was also the second person in International Federation women. It was then that they began to call her the Iron Lady.
To be honest, Tereshkova was very burdened by this party burden. She said that she did not receive any money for her public work. And I always dreamed of a new flight. She even tried to get into the new astronaut corps. However, after Gagarin's death soviet government decided to take care of the “firsts”.
Valentina continued to be interested in space. She dreamed of going on a flight to Mars. At the same time, she understood that this flight would be one way...
In the 90s, she was the head of the Association for International Cooperation and the Council for Coordinating the Activities of Russian Science Centers.
And at the end of this decade she began working at the Cosmonaut Training Center. She received the post of senior researcher there.
Present time
Since 2008, Tereshkova has collaborated with the party " United Russia" She was a State Duma deputy. She always helped her Yaroslavl school and some other children's institutions. Thanks to her, a university, a planetarium and a river station were opened in Yaroslavl.
In the spring of 2008, she turned out to be a torchbearer domestic stage games in Beijing.
Three years later she again became the people's representative.
In 2014, she carried the Russian flag at the Olympics in Sochi.
And in 2015, she headed a non-profit charitable foundation, which was called “Memory of Generations.”
In 2016 she Once again won the election race, becoming a deputy of the State Duma.
Orbital marriage
Five months after the epoch-making space flight, Valentina Tereshkova (1963) got married. Her chosen one was cosmonaut Andrian Nikolaev. This act was too unexpected for many. At a minimum, the residents of Yaroslavl knew that she allegedly had a fiancé. True, the journalists could not find him.
Be that as it may, 35-year-old cosmonaut Nikolaev was in fact courting young Valentina. She was then twenty-six. Many believed that this relationship would not last long. They were too different - strong and strong-willed. They say that the head of the Soviet state Nikita Khrushchev himself matched them. Such a stellar, cosmic, orbital pair did not exist then. But this marriage still lasted for nineteen years.
The couple also had their first child, daughter Lena. At one time, she perfectly graduated from both school and medical institute. She works as an orthopedic surgeon. She has two sons - Alexey and Andrey.
In the late 70s, the space couple began to appear together less often. There was no question of getting a divorce. For Nikolaev could easily have been fired from the cosmonaut corps for being “immoral.” Moreover, in fact, then two applicants for cosmonauts were expelled due to divorces. And Tereshkova, the head of the Committee, is somehow uncomfortable being in a state of divorce.
They say that Brezhnev saved the situation. He personally agreed to this divorce. By this time, Tereshkova was in love again.
Second marriage
She met her new boyfriend, Valentina Tereshkova, whose photo you can see in the article, back in 1978. By this time, she was again in the cosmonaut corps and hoped that she would go on her new space journey. And Yuliy Shaposhnikov in those days served in medical academy. He checked the health of the astronauts. Employees called him a “hard worker” and “humble.” And Valentina herself always spoke warmly about him.
Then it was clear that they were in love. They say that because of the new novel, Shaposhnikov abandoned his family.
They lived together for almost two decades. During this time, Tereshkova’s husband was able to head the Institute of Traumatology and Orthopedics. He also became a major general. But in 1999 he died due to cancer.
Recent history
On this moment Tereshkova has practically no close people left. There was a time when she loved her family very much younger brother. His name was Vladimir. He worked as a cameraman in Star City. A few years ago he passed away.
Valentina’s mother has also been gone for a long time. Until the last moment she searched for her father. As mentioned earlier, he died while walking Soviet-Finnish war. It was known that he died a heroic death on the territory of the Karelian Isthmus. But his grave, of course, did not exist then. And only in the late 80s, the head of the defense department D. Yazov helped her find his burial. He was able to allocate funds to fly over the area. As a result, a mass grave was found in the forest. Tereshkova was even able to erect a monument there. Since then, she regularly visits this place.
Despite her age, she can still boast of her good health. Although in 2004 she had heart surgery. Otherwise she would have suffered a heart attack.
Until the end, Chaika continues to do a lot for his native region. And in 1996, the head of the school where she studied fell ill. At this moment, the teacher needed urgent surgery. Thanks to Valentina, she was operated on in the capital. And it's free.
The female symbol has great connections. True, quite little is known about this side of her life. In the 80s, she “closed herself” from the media because of the stupidest articles about her. Her silence was broken only a few years ago.
© provided by the Center for Photography. Lumiere brothers
Valentina Tereshkova - the first woman in space: in a capsule, at the mercy of space sickness
Space so closeIn 1963, Valentina Tereshkova went into space, becoming the world's first female cosmonaut. During the flight, difficulties arose every now and then, so Tereshkova’s boss only confirmed his prejudices and no longer allowed women on board the spacecraft. Today, the 80-year-old Russian woman is involved in politics in Putin's government.
Space pioneer Valentina Tereshkova has forever secured her place in the history books. In June 1963, it orbited the Earth 48 times. However, the astronaut was unable to achieve any significant achievements, since during her three-day flight she ignored the instructions of the chief designer of space technology, Sergei Korolev. On March 6, Tereshkova turns 80 years old.
From a propaganda point of view, the flight of the Chaika—that was Tereshkova’s call sign—was a serious breakthrough. After the launch of the first satellite in 1957, as well as after the flight of Yuri Gagarin in 1961, this achievement managed to deal the US another blow to the US in the struggle for dominance in the world. outer space. Nevertheless, from a scientific point of view, this flight brought only disappointments, and with them - catastrophic consequences for other astronaut candidates.
Space sickness and programming errors
Korolev allegedly said in a narrow circle: “With me, there won’t be a single woman in space again.” Moreover, the word “woman” was most likely invented by journalists so that this much more rude phrase could be published at all. The main purpose of Tereshkova’s flight was to study the influence of space environmental conditions on the functioning of the female body, to improve the control system of the Vostok spacecraft, as well as to photograph the Earth and the Moon. In parallel with Tereshkova, Valery Bykovsky flew around the Earth on the Vostok-5 spacecraft.
However, the astronaut had to deal with space sickness from the very beginning, and, incidentally, she hid this fact from the ground control team. Tereshkova did not follow instructions for orienting the capsule using the system manual control, did not respond to call signs for hours, did not eat according to the planned diet and complained of the oppressive tightness in the capsule. She could not take notes because she had broken her pencils in the bustle.
Neglect of prohibitions
In addition, she quickly realized that the flight path of the capsule of her Vostok 6 spacecraft was programmed incorrectly. Only on the second day of the flight did she receive the correct data. If this had not happened, her flight could have ended in disaster, which Tereshkova admitted only ten years later. Korolev allegedly begged her not to talk about this technical error.
Context
Tereshkova: in the USSR women were not allowed into space
BBC Russian Service 09/18/2015How to Make Space Great Again
Wired Magazine 12/18/2016In addition, cosmonaut Valery Bykovsky made his flight around the Earth in a lower orbit, so that visual contact between the two spaceships was impossible, and radio communication capabilities were limited.
To the horror of the doctor, Tereshkova, who landed by parachute 620 kilometers northeast of Karaganda (Kazakhstan), distributed her space food to local residents, while she herself ate potatoes with onions and drank kumiss, which was strictly prohibited.
Tereshkova hid a large bruise on her nose, received during a parachute landing, under a thick layer of makeup. The next day, the landing was staged for filming and photography, which subsequently flew around the world.
For Korolev, the problems and malfunctions that arose during Tereshkova’s flight became a pleasant confirmation of his prejudice, which persists in Russia to this day, that women have nothing to do in space. That is why the first squad of cosmonauts of the USSR, which included 20 candidates for the first flight into space, the so-called “Gagarin set”, consisted exclusively of men. In the end, only four women astronauts went into space. In the active cosmonaut corps, along with 33 men, there is only one woman - and she is for the sake of justification.
The chief designer of space technology, Sergei Korolev, after Tereshkova’s flight, disbanded the female cosmonaut corps and canceled all planned further flights of women into space. Only in 1982, 16 years after his death, Svetlana Savitskaya made her flight, becoming the second Russian woman in space, in response to the US announcement of plans to send a woman into space in the person of Sally Ride.
Tereshkova goes into politics
After her flight, Tereshkova avoided the press so as not to have to lie. For this she was forced to come to terms with the fame of a cutesy person. She finally found her true calling in politics. Generously awarded, she enjoyed success primarily in the countries of the Eastern Bloc; she graduated, like Gagarin, from the Air Force Engineering Academy. N. E. Zhukovsky and quickly made a career. She became a deputy of the Supreme Soviet of the USSR and a member of the CPSU Central Committee, head of the Soviet Women's Committee, as well as a member of numerous international associations.
Multimedia
Space breakthrough "Seagulls"
Der Spiegel 03/06/2017Which ones are not accepted as astronauts?
RIA Novosti 04/12/2016After the collapse of the Soviet Union, she headed Russian center international scientific and cultural cooperation. In 1995, Tereshkova became the first woman in Russian history to hold the rank of major general of aviation.
"Benefactor" Valentina
In 2008, after two unsuccessful attempts to receive a mandate as a State Duma deputy for his contribution to development social movements, Tereshkova became a deputy regional Duma his hometown Yaroslavl from the United Russia party, and soon as deputy chairman. Three years later she managed to move to the State Duma in Moscow.
She decisively fights for the interests of her voters - be it gasification in the Yaroslavl region or strengthening the banks of the Volga in the Rybinsk region. Previously, requests were sent to the Central Committee, but today Tereshkova appeals directly to Putin. The President certainly understands what he owes to Tereshkova. Some of the fame of the cosmonautics icon, still very popular in Russia, goes to him too.
450 red roses for the President
Tereshkova herself makes virtually no public statements about Putin and his party. But for Putin’s 64th birthday, she sent him a bouquet of 450 red roses on behalf of all State Duma deputies. Tereshkova thanked the president for his “tireless work” and promised - just like in Soviet times- work with him for the good of the people.
Shortly before his death in 2011, Boris Chertok found conciliatory words for Tereshkova. Soviet scientist, throughout for long years Korolev, who was Korolev’s closest ally, hinting at her unsuccessful flight, told her that in “public and government activities“She achieved “truly cosmic heights.”
InoSMI materials contain assessments exclusively of foreign media and do not reflect the position of the InoSMI editorial staff.
My grandfather, a hereditary peasant with an unfinished school education(the war got in the way), he was an unusually intelligent person. And when I, as a boy, told him about Tereshkova, about the first woman in space and so on, he just snorted contemptuously. He said that a sack of potatoes would have coped with such a flight no worse - they say they stuffed Tereshkova into a rocket like a simple load, launched her into orbit, and that’s all her achievements. And this was not sexism, not disdain for the achievements of women from the man - he spoke about Savitskaya quite respectfully. How did he know such details in the Soviet years - I don’t know, but Dnepropetrovsk in those days was not the last locality from space, perhaps some rumors reached him.
But, like, 80 years and all that... one could pretend that everything is fine, but it doesn’t work out.
Space pioneer Valentina Tereshkova has forever secured her place in the history books. In June 1963, it orbited the Earth 48 times. However, the astronaut was unable to achieve any significant achievements, since during her three-day flight she ignored the instructions of the chief designer of space technology, Sergei Korolev. On March 6, Tereshkova turns 80 years old.
From a propaganda point of view, the flight of “Chaika” - that was Tereshkova’s call sign - was a serious breakthrough. After the launch of the first satellite in 1957, as well as after the flight of Yuri Gagarin in 1961, this achievement managed to deal the US another blow to the United States in the struggle for supremacy in outer space. However, from a scientific point of view, this flight brought only disappointments, and with them - catastrophic consequences for other astronaut candidates.
Space sickness and programming errors
Korolev allegedly said in a narrow circle: “With me, there won’t be a single woman in space again.” Moreover, the word “woman” was most likely invented by journalists so that this much more rude phrase could be published at all. The main purpose of Tereshkova’s flight was to study the influence of space environmental conditions on the functioning of the female body, to improve the control system of the Vostok spacecraft, as well as to photograph the Earth and the Moon. In parallel with Tereshkova, Valery Bykovsky flew around the Earth on the Vostok-5 spacecraft.
However, the astronaut had to deal with space sickness from the very beginning, and, incidentally, she hid this fact from the ground control team. Tereshkova did not follow instructions for orienting the capsule using the manual control system, did not respond to call signs for hours, did not eat according to the planned diet, and complained of the oppressive cramped conditions in the capsule. She could not take notes because she had broken her pencils in the bustle.
Neglect of prohibitions
In addition, she quickly realized that the flight path of the capsule of her Vostok 6 spacecraft was programmed incorrectly. Only on the second day of the flight did she receive the correct data. If this had not happened, her flight could have ended in disaster, which Tereshkova admitted only ten years later. Korolev allegedly begged her not to talk about this technical error.
In addition, cosmonaut Valery Bykovsky made his flight around the Earth in a lower orbit, so that visual contact between the two spacecraft was impossible and radio communication capabilities were limited.
To the horror of the doctor, Tereshkova, who landed by parachute 620 kilometers northeast of Karaganda (Kazakhstan), distributed her space food to local residents, while she herself ate potatoes with onions and drank kumiss, which was strictly prohibited.
Tereshkova hid a large bruise on her nose, received during a parachute landing, under a thick layer of makeup. The next day, the landing was staged for filming and photography, which subsequently flew around the world.
For Korolev, the problems and malfunctions that arose during Tereshkova’s flight became a pleasant confirmation of his prejudice, which persists in Russia to this day, that women, in fact, have nothing to do in space. That is why the first squad of cosmonauts of the USSR, which included 20 candidates for the first flight into space, the so-called “Gagarin set”, consisted exclusively of men. In the end, only four women astronauts went into space. In the active cosmonaut corps, along with 33 men, there is only one woman, and she is for the sake of justification.
The chief designer of space technology, Sergei Korolev, after Tereshkova’s flight, disbanded the female cosmonaut corps and canceled all planned further flights of women into space. Only in 1982, 16 years after his death, Svetlana Savitskaya made her flight, becoming the second Russian woman in space, in response to the US announcement of plans to send a woman into space in the person of Sally Ride.
Tereshkova goes into politics
After her flight, Tereshkova avoided the press so as not to have to lie. For this she was forced to come to terms with the fame of a cutesy person. She finally found her true calling in politics. Generously awarded, she enjoyed success primarily in the countries of the Eastern Bloc; she graduated, like Gagarin, from the Air Force Engineering Academy. N. E. Zhukovsky and quickly made a career. She became a deputy of the Supreme Soviet of the USSR and a member of the CPSU Central Committee, head of the Soviet Women's Committee, as well as a member of numerous international associations.
After the collapse of the Soviet Union, she headed the Russian Center for International Scientific and Cultural Cooperation. In 1995, Tereshkova became the first woman in Russian history to hold the rank of aviation major general.
"Benefactor" Valentina
In 2008, after two unsuccessful attempts to obtain a mandate as a State Duma deputy for her contribution to the development of social movements, Tereshkova became a deputy of the regional Duma of her hometown of Yaroslavl from the United Russia party, and soon became deputy chairman. Three years later she managed to move to the State Duma in Moscow.
She decisively fights for the interests of her voters - be it gasification in the Yaroslavl region or strengthening the banks of the Volga in the Rybinsk region. Previously, requests were sent to the Central Committee, but today Tereshkova appeals directly to Putin. The President certainly understands what he owes to Tereshkova. Some of the fame of the cosmonautics icon, still very popular in Russia, goes to him too.
450 red roses for the President
Tereshkova herself makes virtually no public statements about Putin and his party. But for Putin’s 64th birthday, she sent him a bouquet of 450 red roses on behalf of all State Duma deputies. Tereshkova thanked the president for his “tireless work” and promised, just like in Soviet times, to work with him for the benefit of the people.
Shortly before his death in 2011, Boris Chertok found conciliatory words for Tereshkova. The Soviet scientist, who for many years was Korolev’s closest associate, hinting at her unsuccessful flight, told her that in “social and state activities” she had achieved “truly cosmic heights.”
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