
First woman in space recalls mission's teething troubles - bootload
http://www.theguardian.com/science/2015/sep/17/first-woman-in-space-valentina-tereshkova/
======
jkot
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&pr...](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=)

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
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.

~~~
jkot
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.

~~~
arrrg
_She_ ruined it for them?

Do you think it’s prudent of those in positions of power to ascribe her (as
you claim) mistakes and misjudgments to her gender and not their process of
selection and training? I mean, you even talk about her lack of training as
the reason for this (which is clearly unrelated to her gender), so if that’s
the case how could she have ruined it for other women?

The fix for a lack of training is not to not hire women (that’s just a total
non-sequitur), but to train more and better.

In that context it seems to me as though sexist assumptions by those in
positions of power combined with a political selection process “ruined it for
them for another 20 years”, not her performance.

You cannot shoulder the oppressed with expectations of perfect performance,
even under adverse conditions. It’s totally awesome when they can pull it off,
but that can’t be and isn’t the norm.

~~~
jkot
Yes, she ruined it for them. Two more women would flight just three years
after her, they would perform a space walk, but that was cancelled after her
flight.

I only mentioned that because she tried to act as victim of sexism, but she
was is one of the reasons: _She said she was sad so few Russian women have
followed her into space, none at all for one 19-year period,_

> _in that context it seems to me as though sexist assumptions by those in
> positions of power combined_

Nice try. Korolev, technicians etc were the one opposing women astronauts.
Politicians 'and those at position of power' wanted women astronauts, but they
lost argument after her flight. Communist party did more for women rights that
any western politician.

> _You cannot shoulder the oppressed with expectations of perfect performance_

If you are buying this paternity propaganda bullish have a look at first
Japanese astronaut. His backup was a woman with better qualifications. Mir
crew had to sedate and restrain him, because he got panic attack. Doubt that
would happen if she would fly.

~~~
arrrg
“Korolev, technicians etc” are people in positions with power. Otherwise they
couldn’t have an argument with the political leadership and _win_.

Their sexist assumptions ruined this. Don’t perpetuate this victim-blaming
bullcrap and don’t shoulder all the responsibility on the oppressed.

------
m_eiman
Recommended soundtrack while reading: Komputer – Valentina ;
[https://itun.es/se/XLx1T?i=768964984](https://itun.es/se/XLx1T?i=768964984)

~~~
mino
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!)

------
jacinda
> _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/...](http://www.sciencemuseum.org.uk/visitmuseum/Plan_your_visit/exhibitions/cosmonauts.aspx)

