Now you will not surprise anyone with flights into space. Of course, they are not yet perceived as an everyday occurrence, but still there is no such excitement, which was accompanied by the first steps of mankind at the base of the uncharted endless starry sky. More than half a century has passed since the first space flight in history. During this time, more than five hundred people managed to see through the glass of the porthole how endless the vastness of the universe is. Not only men flew aboard spaceships . Among them were and are female cosmonauts of the USSR and Russia.
First in the world
Championship in this area belongs to one of the most famous personalities in the world - Valentina Tereshkova. She was born in 1937 in a small village located near Yaroslavl. When she turned 22, she was seriously interested in skydiving.
In 1962-1997, she was part of the female cosmonaut squad. In addition to her, there were 4 more applicants for the flight. I must say that Tereshkova was not the best in terms of endurance and physical fitness. But the then government decided to send it to space first.
There were two reasons that influenced this decision. The first is origin. Valentina Tereshkova was, as they said at that time, a native of "the people." The second reason is attractive appearance, charm and charisma.
Despite the fact that officially the flight was recognized as successful, there were some difficulties. Tereshkova felt bad, and the suit was very uncomfortable. Because of this, she could not complete all the scheduled tasks in full. In addition, a number of other technical difficulties were revealed. For example, when assembling a manual control, mistakes were made that almost led to the deviation of the ship from orbit. But since the automation was at its best, the landing went well.
In 1963, Tereshkova received the title of Hero of the Soviet Union. In addition, she is still the only woman in the Russian army wearing the military rank of Major General.
It must be said that all the women from Russia who have been in outer space have made an invaluable contribution to the development and study of our universe. But only Valentina Tereshkova to this day is the first and only representative of the fair sex, who made a single-handed flight to Earth’s orbit.
First in outer space
The next woman to see the cosmos was Svetlana Savitskaya. She was born in 1947 in the family of a marshal and became an astronaut thanks to her strong determination, willpower and high professionalism.
Savitskaya’s career began with the NGO Rise, where she worked as a test pilot. In 1982, she was assigned to the crew of the Soyuz T-7 spacecraft, where she spent 8 days. And after 2 years she went into outer space, where she spent 3 hours 35 minutes.
The longest flight
The next representative to join the list of “ Women-Cosmonauts of the USSR and Russia” was Elena Kondakova. She was born in 1957 in the Moscow region, in the town of Mytishchi. In 1989, she became a candidate for the cosmonaut corps and after special training received the qualification of a researcher.
Like her two predecessors, Elena Kondakova also became the first - by the duration of her stay in space. Its total duration was almost 179 days. On her account two flights: one - in 1994 at the Mir station, the second - in 1997 on the Atlantis (shuttle) ship.
Women cosmonauts of the USSR and Russia are not only space researchers, but also take an active part in the political life of the country. In 1999, Elena Kondakova was elected a deputy to the State Duma.
The new "star woman"
After 17 years, on September 26, 2014, another space ship launched from Baikonur, whose crew includes Elena Serova. This is her first flight. According to the plan, it should last 170 days and nights.
The fourth female cosmonaut in the seaside village of Vozdvizhenka was born. After graduating from the Moscow Aviation Institute, she was hired by the Mission Control Center. She constantly improved her skills and in 2009 she became a test cosmonaut.
Women cosmonauts of the USSR and Russia are always on top. Their profession requires great courage, strong willpower, as well as the ability not to get confused and cope with any contingency situation.
And while the list of women-cosmonauts from our compatriots is still small, they have everything ahead. After all, there is still a lot of mysterious and unknown, which is fraught with a truly boundless Universe.