Tereshkova marks 50 years of her historic flight

[struggle4progress]

Source: AP via Newsday

Originally published: June 14, 2013 10:43 AM
Updated: June 14, 2013 12:13 PM
By The Associated Press

MOSCOW - (AP) -- It was another Soviet first in space 50 years ago, putting a woman in orbit. And the 26-year old Valentina Tereshkova carried her part with grace, shouting "Take off your hat, sky, I'm coming!" as she blasted off.

President Vladimir Putin praised her during a meeting at his residence Friday, marking the anniversary of her flight. He awarded her the Order of Alexander Nevsky for meritorious public service, one of the highest Russian honors.

Tereshkova's three-day mission instantly made her a global celebrity and a poster image for Soviet space glory following the first man in space, Yuri Gagarin. However, behind the scenes there were strong concerns about the flight and Tereshkova's account of the mission differs dramatically from recollections of other veterans of the nation's space program.

Recalling her flight, the 76-year old cosmonaut says she felt no fear despite what she described as a glitch that might have stranded her in space. Others have faulted her performance and questioned whether she was able to deal with an emergency on descent ...

http://www.newsday.com/business/tereshkova-marks-50-years-of-her-historic-flight-1.5482641

Read more: http://www.newsday.com/business/tereshkova-marks-50-years-of-her-historic-flight-1.5482641

[SCVDem]

1. While I applaud her flight

I will applaud future achievements we make as a human race without political boundaries.

Imagine what we could accomplish together!

"Some say I'm a dreamer......" John Lennon

[struggle4progress]

2. It's old stuff now, but I think it's still interesting to note the difference in the dates:

16 June 1963 - USSR sends first woman into space (Valentina Tereshkova)
18 June 1983 - US sends first American woman into space (Sally Ride)

[RILib]

4. the U.S. male astronauts

testified before Congress against allowing women into the program. I will never forget their snide remarks and "jokes."

I don't care how Valentina Tereshkova got into space, the point is, she did.

I'm also not surprised to see disparaging rumors sent about even now. Can't have those uppity women succeeding at anything.

[Archae]

3. She was a product of Soviet propaganda.

It was nearly 20 years after that, Soviets put a second woman into space.

And when James Oberg asked her about any of the other women in the space program she had Oberg thrown out of a press conference.

Khruschev used her.

[Ash_F]

5. Source?

All I found was this

http://ufoupdateslist.com/2000/jul/m17-026.shtml

Which contains an alleged quote by James Oberg regarding the matter. In it he claims that Yuri Gagarin was not the first man in space and that there were women in space before Valentina Tereshkova.

He is also a fellow for "The Committee for Skeptical Inquiry"

http://www.csicop.org/about/csi_fellows_and_staff/

So...seems a little nutty.

[struggle4progress]

6. The USSR didn't send a second woman into space until 1982

[Ash_F]

8. I wasn't questioning that but rather the details of the press conference claim. /nt

[Archae]

7. Oberg's book "Red Star In Orbit"

The part about being thrown out of Tereshkova(sp?)'s press conference is from Oberg's book.

The part about Gagarin is not.

In fact Oberg ridiculed the "dead cosmonaut in orbit" stories.

Combine Soviet secrecy (remember that rocket launch area the Soviets kept saying didn't exist?) and lurid exaggerations from a couple HAM radio enthusiasts, and you get the "Dead cosmonaut" stories.

[Ash_F]

9. Do you have your own direct quote?

The quote in my link alleges to be direct. It could be doctored, I don't know. I don't have the book.

But if true then Oberg alleged to her that there were female Russian cosmonauts in space before her, which is tin hat to say the least. I wouldn't blame her for removing him for that. These cosmonauts/astronauts devote a lot of their lives to these projects, to then have conspiracy theories thrown in their faces. Remember when Buzz Aldrin punched that 'fake moon landing' guy?

Edit - Sorry Buzz Aldrin

[Archae]

10. First off this web site you listed is a nutcase site.

And Oberg was asking about the women who trained with Tereshkova, but did not go into space like she did.

Just like here in the US, a couple astronauts were killed in plane accidents, or died in training accidents.
But in the old Soviet histories, they didn't exist.

One cosmonaut died really horribly in a fire, inside a chamber full of pure oxygen.

Another got really drunk and disorderly.

They got "airbrushed out," sometimes literally.

[Ash_F]

11. I know it is a nutcase site, that was my point.

You don't have a source regarding the incident you alleged in your first post. Do you?

[Archae]

12. Found it rather quickly.

James Oberg's own web site.

http://www.jamesoberg.com/tereshkova.pdf

[Ash_F]

13. So did you take everything in there at face value?

"Whatever the truth of these suspicions and rumors, the other three women have vanished
almost without a trace"

Yep never to be heard from again.

Come on.

I realize you want to slam Russia, but it can be done with out deriding this woman's achievements and those of her peers.