Valentina Tereshkova, just prior to her launch aboard Vostok 6 in 1963. Image credit: Science Source / Photo Researchers, Inc.

The first woman in space turned 80, and you probably never heard of her

20 years before Sally Ride, Valentina Tereshkova set the bar. She’s still amazing after more than 50 years.

“A bird cannot fly with one wing only. Human space flight cannot develop any further without the active participation of women.” -Valentina Tereshkova

On June 18, 1983, the Space Shuttle Challenger launched Sally Ride — the first female American astronaut — into space.

The Vostok 6 capsule that served as Valentina Tereshkova’s home for 3 days in 1963. Image credit: Andrew Gray of Wikimedia Commons.

But that came a full 20 years after Soviet Cosmonaut Valentina Tereshkova’s pioneering voyage.

The launch of Vostok 6, with Valentina Tereshkova aboard. Image credit: Roskosmos.

On June 16, 1963, Tereshkova piloted Vostok 6, completing 48 orbits around Earth during her three day mission.

Tereshkova has been continuously popular and regarded as a national hero by every Russian and Soviet leader, from Khrushchev to the present. Image credit: Reuters/Natalia Kolesnikova/Pool.