People of Russia

Valentina Vladimirovna Tereshkova (3/6/1937) – The world's first woman astronaut. Born in the village Maslennikovo Tutayev district of the Yaroslavl region in the family farmers. His father worked as a tractor driver and his mother was the household, worked on the farm. During the Great Patriotic War, his father was killed at the front, and a mother with three children moved to the city of Yaroslavl. There little Valya went to school. She graduated from school seven years, and then night school for working youth. At the end of June 1954 came to work at the Yaroslavl Tire Plant in the assembly shop cutter. In 1955 moved to Yaroslavl combine technical fabrics "Red Perekop", where she worked brasletchitsey. In 1956 he joined the Yaroslavl Correspondence College of Light Industry. Besides working and studying in college attended a local flying club, was engaged in parachuting, made 163 parachute jumps. She was awarded the first class in parachute jumping. At the plant "Red Perekop" joined the Komsomol, and in 1960 was elected secretary of the Komsomol organization of the plant. In 1960 she graduated from Yaroslavl correspondence Light Industry College. Free Secretary of the Komsomol committee Yaroslavl combine technical fabrics "Red Perekop" worked until 1962, when he was enlisted into the Soviet cosmonaut (1962-A group of women astronauts № 1). The entire course of flight training on ships such as the East. 16 – 19 June 1963 the first women in the world flew into space aboard the spacecraft Vostok 6. The flight suffered quite heavily, and it is likely to become one of the reasons that the next woman in space flight took place only after 19 years. The flight duration was 2 days 22 hours 50 minutes. After his flight continued to receive training in the astronaut, but most of the time was to do social work. Tereshkova had to make many trips to the cities of the USSR, in many countries of the world. At the end of 1963 took her wedding with astronaut Andriyan Grigorievich Nikolaev. It is believed that this marriage was largely artificial, pushed him and medical scientists who wanted to continue research begun in the space of behavior of the human body during and after the flight, and the leaders of the Soviet state, especially Nikita Khrushchev, who tried to arrange from this marriage another propaganda ploy. Thus it or not, but the wedding took place. In 1964, the "space" the family had a daughter – Helen. Existed for several years, the marriage fell apart. Simultaneously with the work at the Cosmonaut Training Center, active in social activities and occupation, with their small daughter, Tereshkova joined the Military Engineering Academy named after NE Zhukovsky, and graduated in 1969, the specialty cosmonaut engineer. Actively engaged in an astronaut until 1968, when the women's group was disbanded. However, continued to be enrolled in an astronaut until 1987, and in 1985 even considered the possibility of re-flight in space. Since 1968 has been working in the Soviet and later Russian, public organizations. In 1968 – 1987 years was chairman of the Committee of Soviet Women. In 1987 – 1992 years – Chairman of the Presidium of the Union of Soviet Societies for Friendship and Cultural Relations with Foreign Countries. In 1992 he was Chairman of the Presidium of the Russian Association of International Cooperation. In 1992 – 1995 years – the first deputy chairman of the Russian agency for international cooperation and development. Since 1995 – Chairman of the Interagency Council on the coordination of Russian centers of science and culture abroad. Member of the Central Committee of the Communist Party from 1971 to 1990. Member of the Supreme Soviet of the USSR from 1966 to 1989. Member of the Presidium of the Supreme Soviet of the USSR from 1974 to 1989. Vice-President of the International Federation of Democratic Women in 1969 – 1987, respectively. Was a member of the World Peace Council, an honorary member of many organizations. PhD (1976). Major General Aviation.Hero of the Soviet Union. She was awarded two Orders of Lenin, the Order of the October Revolution, Order of Red Banner of Labor Order of Friendship of Peoples, medals. Tereshkovoj awarded the title Hero of Socialist Labor of Czechoslovakia, Hero of the People's Republic of Bulgaria, Hero of Socialist Labor of the Democratic Republic of Vietnam, the Hero of the Mongolian People's Republic. She was awarded the Golden Medal of the world "named Frederic Joliot-Curie Gold Medal of the world the UN Gold Medal Tsiolkovsky Academy of Sciences of the USSR, the Gold Medal of the British Interplanetary Society Message" for success in space exploration, "Gold Medal" Space »(FAI) , order "Windrose" the diamond of the International Committee on Aeronautical and Space Missions, Order of Karl Marx (GDR), Georgi Dimitrov (Bulgaria), Grunwald Cross of the first degree (Poland), the Order of the Banner of the first degree with diamonds (Hungary), Order Sukhe Bator (Mongolia), the Order of the Bay of Pigs (Cuba) and many others. Honorary citizen of Kaluga, Yaroslavl (Russia), Karaganda (Kazakhstan), Vitebsk (Belarus), Montreux, Drancy (France), Montgomery (United Kingdom), Polizzi Generosa (Italy), Darkhan (Mongolia), Sofia, Petrich, Stara Zagora, Pleven, Varna (Bulgaria). Name Tereshkova was named a crater on the Moon.