7 ms·

First woman in space recalls mission's teething troubles

52 points by bootload 11y ago

m_eiman 11y ago
Recommended soundtrack while reading: Komputer – Valentina ; https://itun.es/se/XLx1T?i=768964984 https://itun.es/se/XLx1T?i=768964984
- mino 11y ago
  Or this: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Bnmq4WR83Mw https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Bnmq4WR83Mw Public Broadcast Service - Valentina (you should also listen to the whole album, The Race for Space!)
deleted 11y ago
[deleted]
jkot 11y ago
I know different side of story, from Karel Pacner who studied soviet archives, and wrote many books about space exploration history. I do not have English version, but here is a Google Translate link https://translate.google.com/translate?sl=auto&tl=en&js=y&prev=_t&hl=en&ie=UTF-8&u=http%3A%2F%2Fkarelpacner.cz%2F%3Fstr%3Dhom%26id%3D88%26n%3Dtereskovova-svuj-let-profnukala&edit-text= https://translate.google.com/translate?sl=auto&tl=en&js=y&pr... Valentina was choosed for political reasons. She was humble textile factory worker and soviet party official. There were better woman candidates, but they were ignored due to their education and more aristocratic family. Valentine was selected by Khrushchev. She was not a very good astronaut. > If ground control had not succeeded in sending and installing a new computer program, instead of returning to Earth There was semi-automatic landing. Vostok was capable of landing unmanned without a pilot. But there was problem with engine orientation (the same problem destroyed first unmanned mission). They eventually fixed the problem and landed in automatic mode. Manual landing was for backup, if automatic failed. But Valentina did not took flight well, and could not even describe manual landing sequence over radio. Mission control spend big part of mission explaining how to do manual landing. > She said she was sad so few Russian women have followed her into space, none at all for one 19-year period, but more were now being trained: “I think the attitude to women will change – do you hear me?” This was her fault from big part. Soviets planned more women after her. Ponomarevová and Solovjovová would fly in a Voskhod 6 at the end of 1966, while Solovjovová should climb into space.
- guard-of-terra 11y ago
  One might be not a very good candidate. But once you're in space, you either do or don't. She, at the end of day, did. I find the whole question very sad.
  - Shivetya 11y ago
    I do love her comments about the ship she rode in and her request to not punish an engineer whose work could have gotten her killed. she sounds very pragmatic and honestly sometimes technical expertise isn't the most valuable trait when your in a field where it still is all very much up in the air as to if it works.
  - jkot 11y ago
    She survived but that is not enough. This is not a ride in space shuttle, but ICBM with cannon ball on top. There were other women who would do much better, and she ruined it for them for another 20 years. She almost died three times due to her under qualification. First the manual landing. Second she almost chopped her head off on ejection during landing, luckily she got away with a huge bruise. Third she almost landed on water, and would not be able to swim due to injury from ejection. And there is other smaller stuff, such as ruining medical experiments, by giving away all her food.
    - arethuza 11y ago
      But those sound like problems with the system that selected her - if she gets picked and she's not really that qualified then it's not really her fault.
    - guard-of-terra 11y ago
      We don't know how other women would fare. Maybe something will go slightly wrong and there will be a tragedy that might break the whole space program for a few years. Space is the world of chances anyway. Think about this: USSR could select whatever they likes into this position. There probably was 10 million girls: Russian, party member, of common ancestry. But they did enroll Tereshkova in this program. Means she at least passed basic tests.
jacinda 11y ago
> Most of the 150 objects in the exhibition have never left Russia The article mentions "the exhibition" but doesn't link to it (at least not currently). Here's more information for anyone interested: http://www.sciencemuseum.org.uk/visitmuseum/Plan_your_visit/exhibitions/cosmonauts.aspx http://www.sciencemuseum.org.uk/visitmuseum/Plan_your_visit/...

52 points by bootload 11y ago

Recommended soundtrack while reading: Komputer – Valentina ; https://itun.es/se/XLx1T?i=768964984 https://itun.es/se/XLx1T?i=768964984

mino 11y ago
Or this: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Bnmq4WR83Mw https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Bnmq4WR83Mw Public Broadcast Service - Valentina (you should also listen to the whole album, The Race for Space!)

deleted 11y ago

[deleted]

jkot 11y ago

I know different side of story, from Karel Pacner who studied soviet archives, and wrote many books about space exploration history. I do not have English version, but here is a Google Translate link https://translate.google.com/translate?sl=auto&tl=en&js=y&prev=_t&hl=en&ie=UTF-8&u=http%3A%2F%2Fkarelpacner.cz%2F%3Fstr%3Dhom%26id%3D88%26n%3Dtereskovova-svuj-let-profnukala&edit-text= https://translate.google.com/translate?sl=auto&tl=en&js=y&pr... Valentina was choosed for political reasons. She was humble textile factory worker and soviet party official. There were better woman candidates, but they were ignored due to their education and more aristocratic family. Valentine was selected by Khrushchev. She was not a very good astronaut. > If ground control had not succeeded in sending and installing a new computer program, instead of returning to Earth There was semi-automatic landing. Vostok was capable of landing unmanned without a pilot. But there was problem with engine orientation (the same problem destroyed first unmanned mission). They eventually fixed the problem and landed in automatic mode. Manual landing was for backup, if automatic failed. But Valentina did not took flight well, and could not even describe manual landing sequence over radio. Mission control spend big part of mission explaining how to do manual landing. > She said she was sad so few Russian women have followed her into space, none at all for one 19-year period, but more were now being trained: “I think the attitude to women will change – do you hear me?” This was her fault from big part. Soviets planned more women after her. Ponomarevová and Solovjovová would fly in a Voskhod 6 at the end of 1966, while Solovjovová should climb into space.

guard-of-terra 11y ago
One might be not a very good candidate. But once you're in space, you either do or don't. She, at the end of day, did. I find the whole question very sad.
- Shivetya 11y ago
  I do love her comments about the ship she rode in and her request to not punish an engineer whose work could have gotten her killed. she sounds very pragmatic and honestly sometimes technical expertise isn't the most valuable trait when your in a field where it still is all very much up in the air as to if it works.
- jkot 11y ago
  She survived but that is not enough. This is not a ride in space shuttle, but ICBM with cannon ball on top. There were other women who would do much better, and she ruined it for them for another 20 years. She almost died three times due to her under qualification. First the manual landing. Second she almost chopped her head off on ejection during landing, luckily she got away with a huge bruise. Third she almost landed on water, and would not be able to swim due to injury from ejection. And there is other smaller stuff, such as ruining medical experiments, by giving away all her food.
  - arethuza 11y ago
    But those sound like problems with the system that selected her - if she gets picked and she's not really that qualified then it's not really her fault.
  - guard-of-terra 11y ago
    We don't know how other women would fare. Maybe something will go slightly wrong and there will be a tragedy that might break the whole space program for a few years. Space is the world of chances anyway. Think about this: USSR could select whatever they likes into this position. There probably was 10 million girls: Russian, party member, of common ancestry. But they did enroll Tereshkova in this program. Means she at least passed basic tests.

jacinda 11y ago

> Most of the 150 objects in the exhibition have never left Russia The article mentions "the exhibition" but doesn't link to it (at least not currently). Here's more information for anyone interested: http://www.sciencemuseum.org.uk/visitmuseum/Plan_your_visit/exhibitions/cosmonauts.aspx http://www.sciencemuseum.org.uk/visitmuseum/Plan_your_visit/...