Valentina Tereshkova turned 88 years old

The world's first female cosmonaut, Hero of the Soviet Union, Major General Valentina Tereshkova turned 88 years old. To this day, she remains the only woman who has made a solo flight.

In the summer of 1963, a recording with "Chaika" — that was Tereshkova's call sign — flew all over the world. She was supposed to spend a day in space, and as a result, she stayed in it for three days, circling the Earth about fifty times.

While in outer space, Tereshkova kept a logbook and took pictures, which later studied the atmosphere and discovered aerosol layers.

Tereshkova's followers went into orbit already as part of the crews. Today she is a deputy of the State Duma, where she heads the commission on parliamentary ethics.

June 16, 2023 President of the Russian Federation Vladimir Putin awarded Tereshkova the Order of Gagarin for outstanding achievements in space exploration. She became the first recipient of this award.