History Fact Finder | Exploration and Settlement - Who Was The First Woman In Space?

Who was the first woman in space?

The first woman in space was Soviet cosmonaut Valentina Tereshkova (1937– ). On June 16, 1963, Tereshkova was launched into space aboard the Vostok 6 and spent three days circling Earth. It was twenty years before the United States would send a woman into space. On June 18, 1983, American astronaut Sally K. Ride (1951– ) and four other crew members were launched into space aboard the U.S. space shuttle Challenger.

Further Information: Briggs Carole S. Women in Space. Minneapolis: Lerner, 1998; Vostok 5 and 6. [Online] Available http://www.users.wineasy.se/svengrahn/trackind/Vostok5and6/Vostok56.htm, October 22, 2000; Vostok Program. [Online] Available

eNotes Pass