We cannot allow that the first woman in space will be American.
02/16/1962 AD hired

Tereshkova had not held any previous desire to go to space, and it was her experience in skydiving that would contribute to her selection as a cosmonaut.

After the flight of Yuri Gagarin in 1961, Nikolai Kamanin, director of cosmonaut training, read in American media that female pilots were training to be astronauts. In his diary, he wrote, ^"We cannot allow that the first woman in space will be American. This would be an insult to the patriotic feelings of Soviet women."*

Soviet Premier Nikita Khrushchev was happy with the propaganda potential of her selection, since she was the daughter of a collective farm worker who died in the Winter War, and confirmed her selection.

The rules required that the potential cosmonaut be a parachutist under 30 years of age, less than 170 cm (5 ft 7 in) in height, no more than 70 kg (154 lb) in weight. By January 1962, the All-Union Voluntary Society for Assistance to the Army, Air Force and Navy (DOSAAF) had selected 400 candidates for consideration. After the initial screening, 58 of those candidates met the requirements, which Kamanin reduced to 23. On 16 February 1962, Tereshkova was selected along with four other candidates to join the female cosmonaut corps.

Since they had no military experience, they started with the rank of private in the Soviet Air Forces.

Training included isolation tests, centrifuge tests, thermo-chamber tests, decompression chamber testing, and pilot training in MiG-15UTI jet fighters.[15] Tereshkova underwent water recovery training at sea where several motorboats were used to agitate the waters to simulate rough conditions.[16] She also began studying at the Zhukovsky Air Force Engineering Academy and graduated a few years after her flight.[17] The group spent several months in basic training[15] and, after they finished their training and passed an examination, Kamanin offered them the option to be commissioned as regular Air Force officers. With advice from the male cosmonauts, they chose to accept Kamanin's offer, as it would make it harder for the program to get rid of them after the first flight. All five women became junior lieutenants in the Air Force in December 1962.

Moscow

Lattitude: 55.7558° N
Longitude: 37.6172° E
Region: Russia and Eastern Bloc

Modern Day Russia

Events in 1962 MORE