Valentina Tereshkova: biography of the first female cosmonaut. Biography of Valentina Tereshkova: the path to a brilliant career, personal life Call sign of Valentina Tereshkova
Name: Valentina Tereshkova
Age: 80 years old
Place of Birth: Yaroslavl region
Height: 169 cm
Weight: 68 kg
Activity: The world's first female astronaut
Family status: widow
Valentina Tereshkova - biography
On June 16, 1963, the Vostok-6 spacecraft launched from Baikonur. There was an unusual cosmonaut on board: for the first time in the history of mankind, a woman flew to the stars alone - Valentina Tereshkova.
Early 1960s soviet people literally sick of space. And when the Yaroslavl flying club began to select girls for the female cosmonaut corps, there was no shortage of applicants. But luck did not smile on many - among them was the weaver Valentina Tereshkova.
22-year-old Valya came to the Yaroslavl flying club not alone, but with her friends. The girls didn’t dream about the sky so much as they planned to find themselves pilot husbands. The feeling with which Valentina first stepped into the heavenly emptiness captivated her forever. The first parachute jump was followed by a second, third, and twentieth. By the time the officer from Star City arrived at the club, Tereshkova had almost a hundred jumps under her belt. The requirements for admission to the detachment were simple - age up to 30 years, height up to 170 cm, weight up to 70 kg. Five girls passed the final selection, including Valentina.
The idea to send a woman into space belonged to general designer Sergei Korolev. The country's leader Nikita Khrushchev actively supported her. The Secretary General always tried to catch up and overtake America, and after the championship with Gagarin’s flight, he wanted to “wipe his nose” with the first women’s flight.
Candidates began to be intensively trained in special programs, developed by doctors. Initially, Korolev planned a simultaneous flight of two ships, with a female cosmonaut in each. The designer believed that in the event of a catastrophe, the second ship would complete a historic mission. However, the reliability of the ships turned out to be quite high, and the need for duplication disappeared.
According to medical and sports characteristics, Valentina was a clear outsider from the top five. She did not tolerate certain types of tests very well, and Solovyova, for example, had many times more jumps. But the commission in its choice relied on many criteria: social origin, public position, ability to speak. The latter was necessary so that the new symbol of the USSR could passionately tell people about the advantages of socialism.
As a result, the weaver Tereshkova, whose father died in the Soviet-Finnish War, was recognized the best option. Later, evil tongues claimed that Tereshkova’s candidacy was “pushed” by cosmonaut Andriyan Nikolaev, who courted her. However, there is no evidence of this. In addition, Yuri Gagarin voted for Valentina. It was he who came up with the girl’s call sign - “Seagull”. In turn, Korolev promised the rest of the girls in the squad that they would all eventually go to space.
Valentina Tereshkova - on the verge of death
Yuri Gagarin also came up with the tradition of saying a catchphrase at the start. Valentina knew about this and uttered Mayakovsky’s slightly modified words: “Hey! Sky! Take off your hat! As General Kamanin, who trained the cosmonauts before the launch, recalled: “Everyone who saw Tereshkova during the preparation of the launch and putting the spacecraft into orbit, who listened to her reports on the radio, unanimously declared: “She carried out the launch better than Popovich and Nikolaev.” Yes, I am very I’m glad I wasn’t mistaken in choosing the first female cosmonaut.”
However, everything did not go so smoothly. Professor Yazdovsky, a specialist in space medicine, said that due to the peculiarities of female physiology, Valentina should have been sent into orbit at least a day earlier. But the start was delayed. “She sharply limited her movements. She sat almost motionless. She clearly showed changes in her health of a vegetative nature,” the professor recalled. But that was not the worst thing about that flight.
Due to an error by the engineers, Valentina almost died. Despite her illness, she bravely endured 48 revolutions around the Earth. The girl felt sick for three days, and yet she clearly followed all the commands, kept a logbook and photographed the layers of the atmosphere. Finally, the control center gave the command to descend, for which the ship had to be reoriented manually.
But no matter how hard Tereshkova tried, Vostok-6 was just unfolding in the opposite side and increased the radius of the orbit. On Earth they became worried: the ship might not return. The automation came to the rescue, and Vostok-6 safely descended. However, the troubles did not end there. Instead of the planned landing in Kazakhstan, the space capsule fell in the Altai region, almost falling into a lake.
Local shepherds were the first to find the device: it scared away their herd. The men helped Tereshkova take off her spacesuit, and the collective farmers who arrived in time brought her a tracksuit. In gratitude, Valentina distributed all the “cosmic” food to the peasants, and she herself refreshed herself with potatoes, black bread and kvass. One of the old women naively asked her: “Daughter, haven’t you seen God?” “I saw everything, there is no God,” the Komsomol member cheerfully answered.
Only a couple of hours later a helicopter arrived with soldiers who cordoned off the landing site. The astronaut herself was immediately taken to the village of Nizhnechumanka. From there, Valentina reported to Khrushchev: “The task of the party and government has been completed!” Her family only learned about this flight on the radio, like the entire Soviet people.
Valentina Tereshkova - biography of personal life
After the flight, Valentina Tereshkova became what they had planned “at the top” - a legendary person glorifying the Soviet way of life. Like Yuri Gagarin, she took part in speeches and conferences, and was awarded orders and prizes in many countries around the world. But this fame also had a downside.
Having learned that cosmonaut No. 3 Andriyan Nikolaev was not indifferent to Valentina, Khrushchev ordered their marriage. The doctors also approved of this marriage: they wanted to see what kind of offspring would be produced by a man and a woman who had been in space. The experiment turned out to be successful - a year later Valentina gave birth to a healthy daughter, Lena, although the pregnancy was difficult.
But the union is perfect different people was doomed from the start. The same General Kamanin, having learned about their wedding, wrote in his diary: “For politics and science, their marriage may be useful, but I am not at all sure that Valya really loves Andriyan. They are too different: she is fire, and he is water. Both are strong, strong-willed people, neither of them will voluntarily submit to the other.” The couple did not wash dirty linen in public for a long time, so for many their separation after eight years came as a shock. Valentina herself spoke briefly about Andriyan: “At work there is gold, at home there is a despot.”
Tereshkova compensated for her personal drama social work. She was a deputy of the Supreme Council, headed the Soviet Women's Committee, served in the Air Force and was engaged in scientific work. Only in the early 1980s did she meet “her” man - Yuli Shaposhnikov, who headed the Institute of Traumatology and Orthopedics.
Unlike the assertive Nikolaev, he was ideally suited to Tereshkova in terms of personal qualities. In 1982, the lovers registered their marriage, which lasted until the death of Julius in 1999. And shortly before this, in 1995, Valentina Vladimirovna received the rank of major general, becoming the first female general in Russia.
How Valentina Tereshkova’s daughter lives - her biography, personal life and interesting information with photos in our article. This year, the first female cosmonaut, Valentina Tereshkova, turned 80 years old. Within this significant date we devoted a number of articles not only to Valentina herself, but also to her only daughter.
Today we will talk about how her personal life developed, and also reveal several secrets of her birth.
Elena Tereshkova: photo
Marriages are made in heaven. Or in space. In the case of Nikolaev and Tereshkova, everything was practically the same. The couple were astronauts.
Many people believe that their marriage is not real. It's all because of politics. The astronauts were supposed to be an example for their compatriots.
Valentina Tereshkova and Andrian Nikolaev at the wedding celebration
Accordingly, in their personal life they should have full order. However, the spouses themselves do not think so. They really got married on their own initiative. As well as on their own initiative, they divorced.
The wedding of Tereshkova and Nikolaev took place in 1963. A year later their daughter was born.
Elena Tereshkova in childhood with her parents
Valentina got married for the second time. Her marriage to her second husband lasted 20 years. In 1999, her second husband Yuli Shaposhnikov died.
If not for the circumstances, Tereshkova would still be married. Unlike Andarian, she loved Julia more strongly.
The secret of the birth of daughter Tereshkova
The birth of a daughter to the “heavenly family” of Tereshkova and Nikolaev was accompanied by a wide variety of fictions. Naturally, parental glory is to blame for everything.
The most incredible rumors circulated. As if the girl was born blind or deaf. Some said that she had 6 fingers. According to others, Tereshkova’s daughter had 3 arms. Naturally, the cosmic pressures of the parents were to blame for everything.
Elena as a child with her mother Valentina Tereshkova
Of course, the girl was born completely normal - without the pathologies described above. Although pregnancy was really difficult for Tereshkova. Throughout her childhood Elena (that’s what she called star family his daughter) was under the supervision of medical personnel.
It is possible that health problems during pregnancy were really related to the flight, since Tereshkova did not endure it so easily - the woman was constantly vomiting. In addition, she experienced general weakness.
Elena Andrianova Tereshkova
Elena's childhood and youth
Before revealing the secrets of the personal life of Valentina Tereshkova’s daughter, let’s delve into her biography. Friends and relatives of Tereshkova believe that she returned from space a different person - she was amazed star fever. If it weren't for Valentina's mother, little Lena would have been left to her own devices.
Tereshkova’s daughter graduated from school with excellent marks. After that, she entered medical school. After graduating, the girl devoted herself to work at CITO.
Elena Tereshkova now
After her parents’ divorce, Valentina Tereshkova’s daughter changed her last name. Initially she was Nikolaeva. Afterwards, she took her mother’s surname.
Elena's first husband was pilot Igor Mayorov. The lovers had a son, Alexei. However, the marriage with Mayorov did not last long. Soon she married pilot Andrei Rodionov. They had a son. He was named the same as his father - Andrei.
What did the ex-husband of Tereshkova’s daughter say?
The biography and personal life of Valentina Tereshkova’s daughter was often discussed in the press. She gave several interviews about life with Elena ex-husband. He says the mother-daughter relationship was very difficult. Tereshkova did not pay attention to Elena.
Elena Tereshkova with her mother Valentina Tereshkova, husband and sons
Igor says that Elena changed her last name only because her mother needed it. Although Tereshkova Jr. herself was afraid that her father would be very offended by her for this. And so it was. Of course, now the resentment has passed.
Elena's father Andriyan told Igor that Tereshkova forbade him to communicate with his daughter. It was only when Elena got married that they were finally able to reunite family ties.
The daughter of Valentina Tereshkova (biography, personal life and photos, see above) has gone through multifaceted paths...
The dream of going into space has not left humanity for centuries, and on April 12, 1961, it was destined to come true - Yuri Gagarin made his first flight. Today at Cosmonautics Day, we want to recall an equally significant space expedition - flight of the first female cosmonaut Valentina Tereshkova.
The first space flights took place in conditions of fierce competition between the USSR and the USA. Both superpowers worked to ensure that their ships plowed the expanses of the Universe, but, as you know, the palm in this matter belonged to the Soviet Union. After the debut “male” flight, the Americans had only one trump card left - to prepare a “female” flight, but even here the Soviet cosmonauts were ahead. As soon as the country of Soviets received information about the preparation of the American “women’s team,” Nikita Khrushchev personally insisted that a competitive selection be held among Soviet women as well.
There were many contenders for the role of the woman who would be the first to go into space. Such a scale would be the envy of any modern beauty contest: out of 800 participants in the competition, 30 made it to the finals. They began to be prepared for the decisive flight. During the preparation process, the 5 best candidates were selected; by the way, Valentina Tereshkova was by no means the first in this ranking. In terms of medical indicators, she ranked last.
The girls went through difficult tests: they were placed in extreme high temperatures and into rooms with high humidity, they had to try themselves in zero gravity conditions and learn to ground themselves on the water by jumping with a parachute (training was needed for landing during landing spaceship). Psychological testing was also carried out: it was important to understand how comfortable women would be while in space (by the way, Tereshkova’s experience was unique in that she was in space for almost three days alone, all later flights were made by a duo).
The decision about who would fly into space was made personally by Khrushchev; the story of Valentina Tereshkova perfectly fit the ideal of a “girl from the people” who achieved everything through her own labor. Valentina had a simple family, she herself was born in a village and worked at a weaving factory, she had never been professionally involved in parachute jumping, she had less than 100 jumps in total. In a word, the heroine from the people fully corresponded to the desired ideal.
Tereshkova's spacecraft was launched on June 16, 1963. She flew on the Vostok-6 ship. Valentina Tereshkova can rightfully be called a heroine, since during the flight she faced a huge number of difficulties, but survived all the trials with dignity. The main problem I felt unwell: nausea, lethargy, drowsiness - I had to fight all this. There was even a recorded case that Valentina stopped responding to requests from Earth; it turned out that she simply fell asleep from overwork; only Valery Bykovsky, another Soviet cosmonaut, who was also in orbit at that time, was able to wake her up. There was an internal connection between their ships, through which the astronauts could communicate.
However, the most terrible test, about which the official authorities were silent for a long time, was a malfunction in the mechanism of Tereshkova’s ship. Instead of landing on Earth, she risked flying into space and dying. Miraculously, Gagarin, who was monitoring the flight, managed to figure out how to correct the situation, and Valentina Tereshkova was still able to return.
Landing in the Altai region turned out to be difficult. The exhausted female astronaut literally fell on the heads of local residents. Tired and exhausted, she gladly changed into the clothes brought to her, exposing her body, which had turned into a continuous hematoma from the spacesuit, and also tasted peasant food - potatoes, kvass and bread. For this, she later received a reprimand from Sergei Korolev himself, because by doing so she violated the purity of the experiment.
For many years after Valentina Tereshkova's flight, Soviet women did not go into space; too many difficulties arose during the flight due to " individual characteristics female body"But the name of the first Soviet female pilot is forever inscribed in world history!
Interestingly, today there are many versions regarding whether. According to some sources, he was the fourth cosmonaut, according to others - even the twelfth!
Valentina Tereshkova became the first and this moment the last woman to have the honor of going into space without a partner. Taking full responsibility for spaceflight, she was later promoted to major general. In Russia, this is the only case when a representative of the fairer sex receives such status. It was in this rank that the woman ended her career when she retired. At that time, Valentina was 60 years old. Leaving a legendary example to follow, she is an important figure not only in the minds and hearts of citizens Soviet Union, but also in world history. You will learn the biography of Valentina Tereshkova (briefly) from the article.
Early years, family
Tereshkova was born in the Yaroslavl region. The family of the future heroine of astronautics lived in Bolshoye Maslennikovo. Valentina's ancestors are peasants of Belarusian origin. The parents are ordinary representatives of the middle class: the mother worked in a textile factory, and the father worked as a tractor driver. Valentina's family lost their breadwinner early, who was called up for service during the Soviet-Finnish war. As part of the military battles, the man died tragically.
Youth
The future space explorer enjoyed studying. In addition to success at school, the girl developed her ear for music, honing her skills in playing the dombra. Having received a basic education after 7 years of schooling, Tereshkova decided to help her mother, who was trying her best to provide for her family and create decent conditions for the normal development of her daughter. Having made a decision, Valentina headed to the Yaroslavl Tire Factory, where she received the position of bracelet maker. The girl did not want to quit her studies, so after work shift I hurried to evening school, where I continued to receive my education.
On the way to a brilliant career as an astronaut
Future cosmonaut Valentina Tereshkova entered the extramural to the technical school where I studied light industry. Studying was easy for the girl, but it did not bring much pleasure. Difficult life circumstances did not allow Tereshkova to enjoy a simple student life. For several years, Valentina worked at Krasny Perekop, a plant located close to the girl’s technical school. There she worked as a weaver, which Tereshkova could not call her dream profession.
In search of a hobby that could distract her from the boredom of the poor gray people, the future cosmonaut discovered parachuting. Within the city limits, Valentina found a flying club, where she began to appear regularly, impressing everyone with her fearlessness and willingness to conquer new heights. The new hobby played an important role in Valentina’s fate.
Meeting with Korolev
As her biography testifies, Valentina Tereshkova quickly achieved good results V parachuting and she didn’t intend to stop there. Thanks to a fortunate coincidence of circumstances at this time, Sergei Korolev, a famous Soviet scientist, suggested to his superiors new project, main goal which was a woman's space travel. The scientist’s idea was approved, and in the early 60s the selection of applicants for the title of “woman astronaut” began. There were many who wanted to receive the proud title, but the criteria for ladies were strict: no taller than 1.70 centimeters tall, no older than 30 years old, Weight Limit- 70 kilograms.
Among hundreds of candidates, Valentina Vladimirovna was singled out almost immediately. Her main rivals were Zhanna Erekina, Irina Solovyova, Valentina Ponomareva and Tatyana Kuznetsova.
After meeting Korolev, Tereshkova was determined to win the fight for the opportunity to fly into space. But the path to the goal was not easy.
Military service
The main contenders for the title of cosmonaut were called up for service, where, in the status of privates, they began to actively prepare for future exams. Valentina had to begin training as part of the cosmonaut training program with the rank of student of the second detachment. She quickly improved her position, demonstrating her willingness to learn and develop in her chosen direction during the examination period. This allowed her to move to the first squad.
During the training, the selected applicants tried to increase the body’s resistance to flight conditions in outer space. Important components of the training were lessons in moving in a zero-gravity environment, testing the physical capabilities of the body in a thermal chamber, performing training with parachutes, and learning how to use a spacesuit. Important role The test in a chamber isolated from outside noise (audience chamber), where all applicants for the title of “cosmonaut” stayed for 10 days, also played a role. This test gave women an idea of what it was like to be in space completely alone, which is difficult for humans, as social creatures, to get used to.
Successful completion of tests
After passing all the exams, Korolev had to make a difficult choice, relying not only on the exam results, physical and moral readiness to fly into space, but also on factors such as:
- Origin.
- The ability to be an active public figure glorifying the party of the communist movement.
Based on the results of exams and medical examinations, all women had an equal chance of becoming the winner of the selection. In terms of origin, Tereshkova had a clear advantage. It was beneficial for the project leaders to send a woman who represented the working class into space. The fact that Valentna's father is a war hero also helped.
But the decisive factor was Tereshkova’s ability to speak in front of an audience. She was not embarrassed by the journalists and their questions. The woman knew how to find the right answers and could remember in time about the party and the greatness of communism. This allowed Valentina to receive the title of the main candidate for space travel. The reserve candidates were Ponamareva and Solovyova.
Spacewalk
Valentina Tereshkova's flight took place in early summer in 1963. On one of the days, which later became significant, she started from Baikonur - it was June 16. For the three-day trip she was provided with the Vostok 6 ship. The takeoff made by Tereshkova, and the way she voiced reports about the launch, allows specialists to consider the activities of Valentina Vladimirovna along with the work done by the most experienced and successful cosmonauts - representatives of the stronger sex.
After the successful launch of the ship, no one expected that Valentina would experience some difficulties during the flight. The main problem was the woman’s poor health. Despite the fact that she moved little, Tereshkova maintained contact with the ground station regularly, in accordance with all regulations. Weakened health did not become a reason for Valentina to return home to Earth earlier than planned. Having completed 48 revolutions around the planet, she carefully filled out the logbook and began the landing operation.
The landing did not go according to plan due to a malfunction of the ship's equipment. Problems with the wires placed in the control system prevented Valentina from manually coordinating the ship. But the woman still managed to land him, albeit in automatic mode.
Criticism Queen
"Vostok 6" landed on the ground in the territory Altai Territory, where Valentina Vladimirovna was greeted by local residents who were in a hurry to feed the hero, offering the best of their usual, traditional food. In return, Tereshkova gave away her own food, which she was provided with before the flight. This behavior was not approved by Sergei Korolev, who also reacted ambiguously to Tereshkova’s health problems and her decision to orient the ship to land automatically. The man was extremely dissatisfied with the heroine’s completed mission and promised himself to never again be involved in projects involving female astronauts.
Career after flight
Valentina Tereshkova went into space only once. After a successful space journey, she began working in the cosmonaut training department, where she worked as an instructor and participated in a number of projects as research fellow. Tereshkova found her calling and decided to actively develop in in this direction, so she entered the Zhukovsky Air Force Engineering Academy, after which she received the title of professor. This allowed the woman to write several works significant for science. The heroine of astronautics has repeatedly spoken about her readiness to go to Mars, even if the trip is planned one way.
After the sensational flight, the woman became interested in politics. For a long time Valentina Tereshkova, whose photo you can see in the article, was a member of the Communist Party and an important public figure. After the collapse of the Soviet Union, a woman began to represent “ United Russia", and after resigning, she was elected as a deputy of the regional Duma in her native region.
In 2014, a woman was honored to head charitable foundation. This allowed her to open several large educational institutions on the territory of Yaroslavl. In the same year, Valentina Tereshkova became the guest of honor at the opening ceremony Olympic Games, which took place in Sochi.
Personal life
The year 1963 became important for Valentina Vladimirovna Tereshkova not only because of space flight. In 1963, Valentina married her colleague Adriyan Nikolaev. Nikita Khrushchev himself was present at the lovers' wedding. In this marriage, the woman gave birth to a girl, who received the name Elena. When the daughter reached adulthood, the couple decided to divorce. Later, the first female cosmonaut admitted that Adrian was often tyrannical towards her, which was especially noticeable when the couple became public.
Valentina's second chosen one is Yuliy Shaposhnik, a man who achieved high altitudes in military medical service. Major General, an important and influential man quickly found mutual language with daughter Tereshkova. The couple has no children together, but this did not bother the lovers. Soon both began to enjoy the role of grandparents. Elena, the only heir of the great female cosmonaut, was married twice, both times to pilots.
Valentina Tereshkova now
In 2017, the legendary woman celebrated her anniversary; she turned 80 years old. Active political and public figure, a retired major general, smart and inspiring, she pays a lot of attention to her family, tries to spend more time with her grandchildren, but does not give up on developing in her professional field. Since 2016, Valentina Vladimirovna has been a State Duma deputy. Having the opportunity to do something good for her home region, the woman astronaut began improving infrastructure, beautifying the city, and building industrial and educational organizations.
Retirement age does not prevent Tereshkova from leading active image life. In 2004, on the advice of doctors, the woman decided to have surgery. Surgical intervention allowed Tereshkova to avoid a heart attack. Since that time, Valentin Vladimirovna has not complained about her health, but looking at her success in political career, we can safely conclude that the legendary cosmonaut’s health is fine.
The personal life of the world's first female cosmonaut was of interest to almost all of her compatriots without exception. Little was known about her, and therefore there were many rumors about whether there was a husband, children of Valentina Tereshkova, and when her daughter Elena was born, the interest became even greater. This was no coincidence, because she became the first child in the world whose both parents had been in space. Lena's father was cosmonaut Andrian Nikolaev - no less legendary than his wife. They lived together for only eight years, and their marriage is still shrouded in mystery.
In the photo - Valentina Tereshkova with her daughter
When they got married and began to wait for the birth of the child, their worries knew no bounds, because Tereshkova suffered very poorly from her flight into space, and this could have a bad effect on the health of Valentina Tereshkova’s future children. But everything turned out well, and an absolutely healthy daughter was born into the family of astronauts.
But Lena’s childhood could not be called easy - Valentina Vladimirovna returned from space as a completely different person, moreover, she was struck by star fever, and all these changes in character affected her daughter.
In the photo - a family of astronauts
When Lena was little, Tereshkova had no time to raise her, and her daughter was mainly taken care of by her grandmother. The gap between mother and daughter grew even larger after Tereshkova and Nikolaev separated. Perhaps the coldness towards the child was explained by the fact that there was no real feeling between his parents. They say that Tereshkova and Nikolaev were matched for political and scientific purposes - Khrushchev wanted to show the whole world that in our country everything is done as it should, and doctors wanted to see how Valentina Tereshkova’s children should be born, i.e. continue Scientific research, started in space.
In the photo is the daughter of Valentina Tereshkova
Elena grew up and graduated with honors high school, Then medical school, and after graduation she worked at CITO. Before her parents’ divorce, she bore her father’s last name, Nikolaev, and then changed it to Tereshkova, in her words, in order not to offend her mother. The daughter of Valentina Tereshkova was married twice - the first time she married the pilot Igor Mayorov, and the second time she married the pilot Andrei Rodionov, she has two children - Alexei Mayorov and Andrei Rodionov.
