Tereshkova went on to become a cosmonaut engineer and a prominent communist government official. In order to fly as a cosmonaut, Tereshkova had to be a member of the Soviet Air Force, so she was honorarily inducted prior to liftoff.ĭuring her spaceflight, Tereshkova performed experiments that tested the effects of weightlessness on the female body and also took photographs that helped scientists identify an aerosol layer in Earth’s atmosphere. They marshaled a female cosmonaut corps that underwent extensive training, and on June 16, 1963, Valentina Tereshkova lifted off in Vostok 6 for three days of Earth orbits. Valentina Tereshkova, the first woman in space, in front of the Vostok capsule, 1963.Īfter the success of Yuri Gagarin’s spaceflight in 1961, the Soviet Union immediately turned to the idea of putting a woman in space. This incident represented another milestone: The first space cooperation between the two superpowers occurred when the Soviet Union released the flight plans for Luna 15 to ensure it would not collide with the Apollo capsule. Interestingly, at the same time that Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin of Apollo 11 were unfurling the American flag on the moon in 1969, the Soviet Union’s Luna 15 probe crashed there in a failed attempt to return soil samples. Luna 16 became the first unmanned craft to return soil samples from the moon in 1970. In 1966, Luna 9 achieved the first soft landing of an object on the moon and transmitted the first close-up photos of the lunar surface. Later that year, the Luna 3 probe took the first photographs of the far side of the moon. More significantly, Luna 2 became the first human artifact to reach the moon when it crashed near the Sea of Serenity on September 14, 1959. The Luna 1 probe performed the first successful flyby of the moon. The country’s Luna program deployed a number of probes between 19 to significantly expand earthlings’ understanding of our satellite. ![]() Long before Neil Armstrong walked on the lunar surface, the Soviets reached the moon. They can be viewed at the Cosmonautics Memorial Museum in Moscow. Belka and Strelka eventually died of old age and were stuffed for posterity. Later, Strelka delivered a litter of six puppies, one of which was given as a gift to Jacqueline Kennedy. The canine cosmonauts were retired after their sole flight. After similar unsuccessful missions, on August 19, 1960, the Soviets launched a pair of female dogs, Belka and Strelka, into orbit aboard a new spacecraft called Vostok.īelka and Strelka became international media darlings when their module safely parachuted down after orbiting Earth for 24 hours. One unlucky dog, Laika, became the first animal to travel into space, but she did not return alive. Nonetheless, the Soviets undertook a series of experiments with animals aboard the orbiters to test the feasibility of manned space flight. The early Sputnik satellites were not designed to withstand reentry into Earth’s atmosphere. The two Russian dogs, Belka (left) and Strelka, photographed before they were sent into orbit round the Earth in a Russian satellite. First animals to successfully orbit the earth: Belka and Strelka Ultimately, the launch of the first artificial satellite spurred many countries, including the United States, to pursue space initiatives that continue to this day. ![]() ![]() Sputnik 1 remained in orbit until January 4, 1958, when it burned up on reentering Earth's atmosphere. In fact, a New York Times article of the period reported local sales of binoculars and telescopes rose 50 to 75 percent in the days following the satellite’s launch. With a bit of assistance from field glasses, casual viewers could see the satellite as it passed overhead. Ham radio operators anywhere on Earth could dial in Sputnik’s distinctive beeping sound as it orbited. The politics of the Cold War notwithstanding, Sputnik 1 captured the popular imagination with its interactive capabilities. Others believed the satellite ushered in an exciting new era in human history. Some people feared that a world power capable of blasting an object into space might also launch missiles against foreign targets. Global reaction to the announcement ranged from anxiety to glee. In fact, the official Soviet news agency, Tass, didn’t announce the launch until the next day. The Soviet Union launched Sputnik 1, the first manmade object to orbit the earth, on October 4, 1957, to little fanfare. Soviet technician working on Sputnik 1, 1957.
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