Note sull'episodio
In 1963, Valentina Tereshkova became the first woman to travel into space, orbiting the Earth 48 times in a tiny Soviet spacecraft. But her journey to the stars began far from the world of rockets and cosmonauts. Born into a working-class family and employed in a textile factory, Tereshkova discovered parachuting almost by chance—and it changed the course of her life.
In this episode, we explore her extraordinary rise from factory worker to international celebrity, the intense competition to become the first woman in space, and the reality of spending nearly three days alone in orbit. We also look at the complicated role she played as a symbol of Soviet achievement, her international work promoting women's rights and peace, and the political career that followed.
Valentina Tereshkova's story is more than a tale about being first. It's a story about ambition, politics, gender, propaganda and what happens when an ordinary person finds herself at the centre of extraordinary events.