Space History Made on March 6, 1937

On this day in 1937 the first woman to travel into space was born. Valentina Tereshkova was born in Russia to a textile mill worker and a tractor driver turned soldier. She had the perfect background to represent Russia as the first woman to enter outer space. Tereshkova was a textile worker like her mother but found an interest in parachuting and began training. When the desire came to send a woman to space she was picked along with 57 other woman to be screened in Moscow. 5 were chosen to receive training.Tereshkova lacked in eduction but the craft was self piloting. In the end her proletarian background and physical stamina won her the seat on the Vostok Craft. Tereshkova completed 48 orbits of the earth for a total of 70 hours in space. Initially she claimed to have no ill effects from the journey but it was later discovered she suffered some emotional trauma while in orbit. She became a member of the Supreme Soviet and was made a Hero of the Soviet Union.