Soviet Cosmonaut Valentina Tereshkova was the first woman launched to space 50 years ago on June 16, 1963 aboard Vostok.

Valentina, first woman launched to space 54 years ago

Soviet Cosmonaut Valentina Tereshkova was the first woman launched to space 50 years ago on June 16, 1963 aboard Vostok.
Soviet Cosmonaut Valentina Tereshkova was the first woman launched to space 54 years ago on June 16, 1963 aboard Vostok.

Valentina Valdimirovna Tereshkova, Soviet Cosmonaut becomes the first woman to travel into space, after 48 orbits and 71 hours, she returned to earth, having spent more time in space than all the U.S. astronauts combined to that date.

Textile worker Valentina born to a peasant family in Maslennikovo, Russia, made her first parachute jump and her enthusiasm for skydiving brought her to Soviet space program.

The United States screened a group of female pilots in 1959 and 1960 for possible astronaut training but later decided to restrict astronaut qualification to men. The first American woman in space was astronaut and physicist Sally Ride who served as mission specialist on a flight of space shuttle Challenger in 1983.