​"Once you are at this faraway distance, you realize the significance of what it is that unites us. Let us work together to overcome our differences."

Photo by RIA Novosti archive, image #612748 / Alexander Mokletsov / CC-BY-SA 3.0 [CC BY-SA 3.0 (https://creativecommons.org/ licenses/by-sa/3.0)] via Wikimedia Commons

• COSMONAUT
• FIRST woman in space
• Organized a parachuting club while working in a textile mill
• Accepted into the Russian space training program in large part because of her parachuting experience, as cosmonauts were required to eject from their spacecraft upon reentry and parachute the rest of the way down
• Only went on one mission (1963), but was in space longer than the combined hours of all American astronauts up until that point
• NASA and most of the Western world dismissed her flight as pure propaganda
• Tereshkova traveled the world on publicity tours, then attended Zhukovskii Aviation Academy to further her military training​
• ​Served on many national committees where she argued for greater support for Russian women
• ​FIRST woman to become a Major General in the Russian air force​
• ​Led many international organizations over the years, including the Soviet Society for Friendship and Cultural Relations with Foreign Countries, the Russian Agency for International Cooperation and Development, and the Interdepartmental Council for Coordination of Activities of Russian Science and Culture Centers Abroad
• The Tereshkova crater on the far side of the moon is named after her

Not So Awesome

Tereshkova became a full-fledged politician in 2011, consistently backing Vladimir Putin despite his dismal human rights record. In 2020, amid supposed constitutional reforms, she proposed an amendment that would essentially excuse Putin from the existing term limits and enable him to potentially stay in power until 2036 (he first came to power in 1999). As of this writing, the amendment had been passed by the Russian government and approved by the Constitutional Court (the Russian equivalent of the Supreme Court), offering an easy path to becoming law.

Bibliography: Clements, Barbara Evans. "Tereshkova, Valentina." The Oxford Encyclopedia of Women in World History, Vol. 4, Oxford University Press, 2008, 214-215.
Ignotofsky, Rachel. Women in Science: 50 Fearless Pioneers Who Changed the World. New York: Ten Speed Press, 2016. Print.
Balmforth, Tom. (2020, March 13). First woman in space brought down to earth by anger over bid to prolong Putin rule. https://www.reuters.com/article/us-russia-putin-lawmaker/first-woman-in-space-brought-down-to-earth-by-anger-over-bid-to-prolong-putin-rule-idUSKBN21021H
Higgins, Andrew. (2020, March 16). Russia’s Highest Court Opens Way for Putin to Rule Until 2036. https://www.nytimes.com/2020/03/16/world/europe/russia-putin-president-for-life.html

Books by this Awesome Woman

Biographies for Kids and Young Adults

Research

Spread the word!

Meet more Awesome Women like this

Please note that while Awesome Women Library tries to include links only to media from reputable sources, we cannot attest to the quality or content of any media listed on this website. Our mission is to introduce you to these Awesome Women and give you a wide array of resources for learning more. We haven't read everything listed and are not a recommendation site, nor is this meant to be an exhaustive catalog of every book related to this woman -- there's just too much out there! Happy reading!!