Valentina Tereshkova
Valentina Tereshkova was the first woman to travel into space.
Astronaut
March 6, 1937
Pisces
88
Maslennikovo, Russia
Born on March 6, 1937, in Maslennikovo, Russia, Valentina Tereshkova became the first woman to journey into space. She piloted the Vostok 6 mission in 1963, completing 48 orbits in 71 hours. Tereshkova’s selection from a pool of 400 female candidates was based on her skydiving experience, and she was one of five women chosen in 1962. In addition to her groundbreaking spaceflight, Tereshkova served as a member of the Soviet parliament, an ambassador to various countries, and led the Soviet Women’s Committee.