Valentina Vladimirovna Tereshkova (Russian: Валентина Владимировна Терешкова, IPA: [vɐlʲɪnʲˈtʲinə vlɐˈdʲimʲɪrəvnə tʲɪrʲɪʂˈkovə] (About this soundlisten); born 6 March 1937) is a member of the Russian State Duma, engineer, and former cosmonaut. She is the first and youngest woman to have flown in space with a solo mission on the Vostok 6 on 16 June 1963. She orbited the Earth 48 times, spent almost three days in space, and remains the only woman to have been on a solo space mission.

Before her selection for the Soviet space program, Tereshkova was a textile factory worker and an amateur skydiver. She joined the Air Force as part of the Cosmonaut Corps and was commissioned as an officer after completing her training. After the dissolution of the first group of female cosmonauts in 1969, Tereshkova remained in the space program as a cosmonaut instructor. She later graduated from the Zhukovsky Air Force Engineering Academy and re-qualified for spaceflight but never went to space again. She retired from the Air Force in 1997 having attained the rank of major general.

More info at: Valentina Tereshkova – Wikipedia

Additional Articles associated with this person’s firsts:

• Russian Cosmonaut Valentina Viadimirovna Nikolayeva Tereshkova
• Elena Andrianovna Nikolayeva

Additional Information:

• Valentina Tereshkova – Wikipedia
  Valentina Vladimirovna Tereshkova is a member of the Russian State Duma, engineer, and … Other names, Valentina Nikolayeva-Tereshkova. Space career.
• Valentina Tereshkova – Astronaut – Biography
  Feb 25, 2016 – In 1963, cosmonaut Valentina Tereshkova became the first woman to travel … On June 8, 1964, their daughter, Yelena Adrianovna Nikolayeva, …
• Valentina Tereshkova: First Woman in Space | Space
  Jan 22, 2018 – Valentina Tereshkova was the first woman to go into space. In 1963, she spent almost three days in space and orbited Earth 48 times in her space capsule, Vostok 6. That was her only trip into space. Tereshkova later toured the world to promote Soviet science and became involved in Soviet politics.
• Tereshkova, Valentina (1937—) | Encyclopedia.com
  Mar 16, 2020 – Name variations: Valya Nikolayeva-Tereshkova. Pronunciation: Teryesh-KOH-vah. Born Valentina Vladimirovna Tereshkova on March 6, 1937, …
• Valentina Vladimirovna Tereshkova | Encyclopedia.com
  Born March 6, 1937 (Maslennikovo, Russia) Russian cosmonaut. Valentina Tereshkova made history by becoming the first woman to fly in space. She accomplished this feat in 1963, at the height of the former Soviet Union’s space program.
• Valentina Tereshkova – Wikimedia Commons
  English: Valentina Vladimirovna Tereshkova is a Russian politician and Soviet cosmonaut. She was the first woman in space. Español: Valentina Vladímirovna …
• Valentina Tereshkova Biography – life, parents, school, mother …
  Valentina Tereshkova was the first woman in space, orbiting the earth forty-eight … Valentina Vladimirovna “Valya” Tereshkova was born on March 6, 1937, in the … Their daughter, Yelena Adrianovna Nikolayeva, was born on June 8, 1964.
• Valentina Vladimirovna Nikolayeva Tereshkova
  Tereshkova, Valentina Vladimirovna Nikolayeva (1937- ), Russian cosmonaut and the first woman in space. Tereshkova was a textile worker and amateur …
• Valentina Tereshkova Stock Pictures, Royalty-free Photos …
  Valentina Vladimirovna Tereshkova practices eating in flight simulations for launch … Former Russian cosmonaut and lecturer Valentina Nikolayeva Tereshkova …
• Valentina Vladimirovna Nikolayeva-Tereshkova (b. 1937 …
  Valentina Vladimirovna Nikolayeva-Tereshkova (b. 1937). ID: SIA Acc. 90-105 [SIA2009-4095]. Creator: Form/Genre: Black-and-white photographs. Date: 1963.