The Many Sides of Russia's First Woman in Space

Valentina Tereshkova in her uniform. She was a major in the Soviet Air Force.



On the anniversary of Valentina Tereshkova's historic flight, The Moscow Times presents a gallery of important moments in the life of the first woman in space.

Many references state that this photograph is of cosmonauts Valentina Tereshkova (R) and Tatiana Kuznetsova during Vostok landing tests. Both were selected for the Soviet space program in 1962, but only Tereshkova was assigned to a spaceflight.



However, in a 2005 interview, Tereshkova disputed this description. Her recollection is that the other person in the picture was a parachutist medic and not Kuznetsova.

Valentina Tereshkova preparing for her first spaceflight on June 16, 1963.

Soviet cosmonauts Valery Bykovsky (L) and Valentina Tereshkova greeting the crowds the day after Tereshkova returned from her space flight on June 20, 1963.

Soviet cosmonauts, Heroes of the Soviet Union Pavel Popovich (L), Yuri Gagarin (C), and Valentina Tereshkova in a TV studio, Jan. 1, 1964.

Soviet leader Nikita Khrushchev (R) with cosmonauts Valentina Tereshkova (2nd R), Pavel Popovich (3rd R) and Yuri Gagarin at the Lenin Mausoleum during a demonstration dedicated to the successful space flights of the Vostok-5 and Vostok-6 spacecraft.

Wedding ceremony of Valentina Tereshkova and Andriyan Nikolayev, Nov. 3, 1963.

Reception for Andriyan Nikolayev and Valentina Tereshkova in Nagoya, Japan. Nov. 1, 1965.

Valentina Tereshkova at home, Oct. 1, 1966.

Valentina Tereshkova meeting with Angela Davis, the leader of the American Communist Party at Moscow's Sheremetyevo Airport on Aug. 11, 1972.

Valentina Tereshkova looks at the Apollo Command Module during a tour of the Johnson Space Center in 1977.

Valentina Tereshkova (L) and former cosmonaut Alexei Leonov, the first human to walk in space, greet one another during ceremonies commemorating the 50th anniversary of the launch of Yuri Gagarin at the Cosmonautics Museum in Moscow, Apr. 11, 2011.

Flight Engineer Yelena Serova, Russia's latest woman in space, enjoys the spotlight with Valentina Tereshkova before her flight to the International Space Station, Sept. 12, 2014.