First woman to have flown in space
First woman to travel in space, 16 - 19 June 1963.
Her ex-husband, Andrian Nikolayev, also a Russian astronaut, had a heart attack while judging the All Russian Rural Sports Games in Cheboksary, Russia on 6 July 2004. He was taken to a local hospital and died that same day. He was 74 years old.
Her call sign was "Chaika" (Seagull).
She told reporters in 2013 that engineers had made a mistake in designing the ships controls, which would have left her stranded if she hadnt noticed it in time. "It was programmed to raise the orbit instead of landing. I put the new data in and it worked fine." An engineer had disclosed the glitch in 1993.
She went on to an official career, holding various jobs and honorary titles. She holds a Parliament seat, serving as deputy chairman of the foreign affairs committee in the lower house.
I am deeply grieved by the loss of the crew of Columbia. I express my sincere condolences to the families and friends of the astronauts. I believe that their names will remain as the bright sparkling stars in the universe and will light the way for those who will follow them on the difficult roads of space exploration.
