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Valentina Tereshkova: a controversial choice for first woman in space

Many didn't consider the Russian astronaut Valentina Tereshkova sufficiently qualified for her flight in 1963. She went on to clock up almost three days in space. Her spaceship Vostok VI was fully automated, to the extent that she had to parachute to earth on the ship's re-entry to the Earth's atmosphere.

Image: Russian astronaut Valentina Tereshkova practises feeding in simulated flight conditions. Credit: Getty Images

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