Valentina Tereshkova

The theme of our Spitalfields building is Space Exploration, and when we opened in 2016, we named this room after Valentina Tereshkova, the first woman in space.

Her political views do not sit comfortably for us, though her achievements are undeniable.

Soviet cosmonaut, Valentina Tereshkova was born in 1937. Her dad was a tractor driver and her mum worked in a textile plant. She began school in 1945 at the age of eight. In 1953, she left school and began working, continuing her education by correspondence courses.

Valentina became interested in parachute jumping at an early age, and it was her expertise in parachute jumping that led to her selection as a cosmonaut. She was working in a textile factory when she was recruited into the cosmonaut program.

On June 16th 1963, Tereshkova became the first woman to fly in space. During the 70.8 hour flight, Vostok 6 made 48 orbits of Earth. Upon completion of her mission, Tereshkova was honoured with the title Hero of the Soviet Union. She never flew again, but she did become a spokesperson for the Soviet Union. While fulfilling this role, she received the United Nations Gold Medal of Peace.

She remains the youngest woman to have flown in space under the international definition of 100 km altitude, and the youngest woman to fly in Earth orbit.

She is a member of the Russian State Duma, one of the chambers of the Russian parliament. She was a member of the Communist Party and is a vocal supporter of Putin.

You can read more in this Guardian interview.