Flight of the ‘seagull’: Valentina Tereshkova became the first woman in space 63 years ago today

On June 16, 1963, Valentina Tereshkova, a 26-year-old textile worker, became the first woman in space aboard Vostok 6. Her flight, a political statement by Nikita Khrushchev, lasted nearly three days, completing 48 orbits. Tereshkova’s achievement, despite lacking formal pilot or engineering training, was celebrated globally, though she never flew again.