Valentina Ponomaryova
Encyclopedia
Valentina Leonidovna Ponomaryova (born 18 September 1933) is a former Soviet Cosmonaut.
In December 1961, the selection of female cosmonauts was authorised by the Soviet Government, with the specific intention of ensuring the first woman in space was a Soviet citizen. In February 1962 Ponomaryova was selected in a group of five female cosmonauts to be trained for a Vostok
flight. The group spent several months in intensive training, concluding with examinations in November 1962, after which the four remaining candidates were commissioned Junior Lieutenants in the Soviet Air Force. Ponomaryova established herself one of the leading candidates with Valentina Tereshkova
and Irina Solovyova
, and a joint mission profile was developed that would see two women launched into space, on solo Vostok
flights on consecutive days. The honour of being the first woman in space was to be given to Valentina Tereshkova
who would launch first on Vostok 5
while Ponomaryova would follow her into orbit on Vostok 6
. However Ponomaryova did not respond with standard Soviet cliches in interviews and her feminism made the Soviet leadership uneasy, and this led to the flight profile being altered in March 1963.http://www.astronautix.com/flights/vostok6a.htm Vostok 5
would now carry a male, cosmonaut Valery Bykovsky, flying the joint mission with Tereshkova aboard Vostok 6 in June 1963. Tereshkova's backup was Irina Solovyova
, with Ponomaryova in a supporting 'second back-up' role.
Despite this setback, Ponomaryova remained with the program until 1969. She was at one stage slated to fly on a circumlunar Soyuz
flight in 1965 before substantial delays in the Soyuz spacecraft led to the cancellation of this flight. http://www.astronautix.com/flights/soyuza3.htm She was also to lead an all-female crew on a ten-day mission aboard Voskhod 5 but the program was cancelled before she had a chance to fly.http://www.astronautix.com/flights/voskhod5.htm Ponomaryova retired in 1969 when it became clear that there were no plans for a female Soyuz flight.
She married fellow cosmonaut Yuri Ponomaryov in 1972 and the couple had two children before divorcing. As with Valentina, Yuri did not get to fly into space although he did serve on the Soyuz 18
backup crew.http://www.spacefacts.de/bios/cosmonauts/english/ponomaryova_valentina.htm http://www.spacefacts.de/bios/cosmonauts/english/ponomaryov_yuri.htm
In December 1961, the selection of female cosmonauts was authorised by the Soviet Government, with the specific intention of ensuring the first woman in space was a Soviet citizen. In February 1962 Ponomaryova was selected in a group of five female cosmonauts to be trained for a Vostok
Vostok programme
The Vostok programme was a Soviet human spaceflight project that succeeded in putting a person into Earth's orbit for the first time. The programme developed the Vostok spacecraft from the Zenit spy satellite project and adapted the Vostok rocket from an existing ICBM design...
flight. The group spent several months in intensive training, concluding with examinations in November 1962, after which the four remaining candidates were commissioned Junior Lieutenants in the Soviet Air Force. Ponomaryova established herself one of the leading candidates with Valentina Tereshkova
Valentina Tereshkova
Valentina Vladimirovna Tereshkova is a retired Soviet cosmonaut, and was the first woman in space. She was selected out of more than four hundred applicants, and then out of five finalists, to pilot Vostok 6 on the 16 June, 1963, becoming both the first woman and the first civilian to fly in...
and Irina Solovyova
Irina Solovyova
Irina Bayanovna Solovyova was one of the five women chosen in the female group, now a retired Soviet cosmonaut. She never flew into space, but was chosen as the backup to Valentina Tereshkova, the first woman in space via Vostok 6 in June, 1963...
, and a joint mission profile was developed that would see two women launched into space, on solo Vostok
Vostok
Vostok may refer to one of the following.Spaceflight*The Soviet Vostok programme of human spaceflight.*The Vostok spacecraft used in that programme and also the basis of a reconnaissance satellite.*The Vostok rocket, used to launch the Vostok spacecraft....
flights on consecutive days. The honour of being the first woman in space was to be given to Valentina Tereshkova
Valentina Tereshkova
Valentina Vladimirovna Tereshkova is a retired Soviet cosmonaut, and was the first woman in space. She was selected out of more than four hundred applicants, and then out of five finalists, to pilot Vostok 6 on the 16 June, 1963, becoming both the first woman and the first civilian to fly in...
who would launch first on Vostok 5
Vostok 5
-Backup crew:-Reserve crew:-Mission parameters:*Mass *Apogee: *Perigee: *Inclination: 64.9°*Period: 88.4 minutes...
while Ponomaryova would follow her into orbit on Vostok 6
Vostok 6
-Backup crew:-Reserve crew:Vostok VI-Mission parameters:*Mass: *Apogee: *Perigee: *Inclination: 64.9°*Period: 87.8 minutes9090...
. However Ponomaryova did not respond with standard Soviet cliches in interviews and her feminism made the Soviet leadership uneasy, and this led to the flight profile being altered in March 1963.http://www.astronautix.com/flights/vostok6a.htm Vostok 5
Vostok 5
-Backup crew:-Reserve crew:-Mission parameters:*Mass *Apogee: *Perigee: *Inclination: 64.9°*Period: 88.4 minutes...
would now carry a male, cosmonaut Valery Bykovsky, flying the joint mission with Tereshkova aboard Vostok 6 in June 1963. Tereshkova's backup was Irina Solovyova
Irina Solovyova
Irina Bayanovna Solovyova was one of the five women chosen in the female group, now a retired Soviet cosmonaut. She never flew into space, but was chosen as the backup to Valentina Tereshkova, the first woman in space via Vostok 6 in June, 1963...
, with Ponomaryova in a supporting 'second back-up' role.
Despite this setback, Ponomaryova remained with the program until 1969. She was at one stage slated to fly on a circumlunar Soyuz
Soyuz programme
The Soyuz programme is a human spaceflight programme that was initiated by the Soviet Union in the early 1960s, originally part of a Moon landing project intended to put a Soviet cosmonaut on the Moon...
flight in 1965 before substantial delays in the Soyuz spacecraft led to the cancellation of this flight. http://www.astronautix.com/flights/soyuza3.htm She was also to lead an all-female crew on a ten-day mission aboard Voskhod 5 but the program was cancelled before she had a chance to fly.http://www.astronautix.com/flights/voskhod5.htm Ponomaryova retired in 1969 when it became clear that there were no plans for a female Soyuz flight.
She married fellow cosmonaut Yuri Ponomaryov in 1972 and the couple had two children before divorcing. As with Valentina, Yuri did not get to fly into space although he did serve on the Soyuz 18
Soyuz 18
Soyuz 18 was a 1975 Soviet manned mission to Salyut 4, the second and final crew to man the space station. Pyotr Klimuk and Vitali Sevastyanov set a new Soviet space endurance record of 63 days and the mark for most people in space simultaneously was tied during the mission.-Crew:-Backup...
backup crew.http://www.spacefacts.de/bios/cosmonauts/english/ponomaryova_valentina.htm http://www.spacefacts.de/bios/cosmonauts/english/ponomaryov_yuri.htm