Putin awards first female cosmonaut Order of Gagarin
Valentina Tereshkova, the first female cosmonaut in the world, has been awarded the newly established Order of Gagarin by President Vladimir Putin, as stated in a decree published on the official Internet portal of legal information of the Russian Federation.
The Order of Gagarin was established by Putin in May to honor individuals for their outstanding achievements in the field of space. Tereshkova is being recognized for her remarkable contributions to the exploration of outer space, her courage and dedication during her historic manned flight, as well as her active public and international activities. The decree describes Tereshkova as a Hero of the Soviet Union, a pilot-cosmonaut of the USSR, a deputy of the State Duma of the Federal Assembly of the Russian Federation, and a member of the State Duma Committee on International Affairs.
It has been exactly 60 years since Tereshkova’s space flight began on June 16, 1963. The Vostok launch vehicle was launched from the Baikonur Cosmodrome and successfully put the Vostok-6 spacecraft into orbit. The flight lasted two days, 22 hours, and 50 minutes, covering a distance of one million 971 thousand kilometers. During the mission, the spacecraft completed 48 orbits around the Earth, and on June 19, the lander safely touched down in the Altai Territory.
Tereshkova holds a significant place in history as the first woman to travel to space and the sixth among Soviet cosmonauts. Notably, she remains the only woman to have flown alone, as all other female cosmonauts have flown as part of a crew. It was only 19 years later in 1982 that another woman, Soviet cosmonaut Svetlana Savitskaya, entered space.
By honoring Valentina Tereshkova with the Order of Gagarin, President Putin pays tribute to her groundbreaking achievements in space exploration and recognizes her important role in inspiring future generations of scientists and explorers.
(ORIENT news)
