Valentina Tereshkova (1937- ) was a Soviet cosmonaut and the first woman to fly in space. Valentina flew aboard Vostok 6 from June 16 to June 19, 1963.

She had only 15 months for training. It included classroom study, parachute jumps, and time in an aerobatic jet.

Valentina launched aboard Vostok 6. As with all Vostok landings, Valentina exited from the capsule 20,000 feet above the ground and landed under a parachute. She landed near Karaganda, Kazakhstan, on June 19, 1963, after 48 orbits totaling 70 hours 50 minutes in space. Valentina spent more time in orbit than all the U.S. Mercury astronauts combined.

Valentina married another cosmonaut Andrian Nikolayev in November 1963. Their daughter was the first child who had parents that had both been in space.

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