What feat did Valentina Tereshkova, a Soviet skydiving expert, achieve on this day in 1963?

June 15, 2011 By Chad Vander Veen

Answer: She became the first woman in space.

Tereshkova was also the first civillian to go to space. On June 16, 1963, she piloted a Vostok 3KA — the first spacecraft built for human space flight. She orbited Earth, alone in the craft, 48 times before returning safely.

It would not be until 1982 that another woman, Svetlana Savitskaya, returned to space. And it was not until 1983 that Sally Ride became the first American woman to reach space.

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