How Valentina Tereshkova's daughter lives - her biography, personal life and interesting information with a photo in our article. This year, the first woman-cosmonaut, Valentina Tereshkova, turned 80. As part of this significant date, we dedicated a number of articles not only to Valentina herself, but also to her only daughter.


Today we will talk about how her personal life developed, and also reveal a few secrets of her birth.


Elena Tereshkova: photo

Marriage of Tereshkova and Nikolaev

Marriages are made in heaven. Or in space. In the case of Nikolayev and Tereshkova, this was practically the case. The couple were astronauts.


Many people think their marriage is fake. It's all the fault of the politician. The astronauts were supposed to be an example for their compatriots.
Valentina Tereshkova and Andrian Nikolaev at a wedding celebration

Accordingly, that in their personal life they should have full order... However, the spouses themselves do not think so. They did get married on their own initiative. As well as divorced on their own initiative.


The wedding of Tereshkova and Nikolaev took place in 1963. A year later, they had a daughter.


Elena Tereshkova as a child with her parents

Valentina got married a second time. Her marriage lasted 20 years with her second husband. In 1999, her second husband, Yuli Shaposhnikov, died.


If not for the circumstances, Tereshkova would still be married. Unlike Andarian Julius, she loved more.


The mystery of the birth of daughter Tereshkova

The birth of a daughter to the "heavenly family" Tereshkova and Nikolaev was accompanied by a wide variety of fictions. Naturally, parental glory is to blame for everything.


The most incredible rumors circulated. As if the girl was born blind or deaf. Some said that she had 6 fingers on her hands. According to others, Tereshkova's daughter had 3 hands. Naturally, the space loads of the parents were to blame for everything.
Elena as a child with her mother Valentina Tereshkova

Of course, the girl was born completely normal - without the pathologies described above. Although the pregnancy for Tereshkova was really difficult. All childhood Elena (so called star family her daughter) was under the supervision of medical personnel.


It is possible that health problems during pregnancy were really related to the flight, since Tereshkova did not endure it so easily - the woman was constantly nauseous. In addition, she suffered from general weakness.


Elena Andrianova Tereshkova

Childhood and adolescence of Elena

Before revealing the secrets of the personal life of Valentina Tereshkova's daughter, let's delve into her biography. Friends and relatives of Tereshkova believe that she returned from space as a different person - she was struck by star fever. If not for Valentina's mother, little Lena would have been left on her own.


Tereshkova's daughter finished school with excellent marks. After that, she entered the medical institute. After graduating from it, the girl devoted herself to work at CITO.


Elena Tereshkova now
After the parents divorced, the daughter of Valentina Tereshkova changed her last name. Initially, she was Nikolaeva. After - she took the name of her mother.

The first husband of Elena was the pilot Igor Mayorov. The lovers had a son, Alexei. However, the marriage with Mayorov did not last long. Soon she married the pilot Andrei Rodionov. They had a son. He was named the same as his father - Andrey.

What did the ex-husband of daughter Tereshkova say?

The biography and personal life of Valentina Tereshkova's daughter was often discussed in the press. Several interviews about life with Elena gave her ex-husband... He says that the mother-daughter relationship was very difficult. Tereshkova did not pay attention to Elena.


Elena Tereshkova with mother Valentina Tereshkova, husband and sons

Igor says that Elena changed her surname only because her mother needed it. Although Tereshkova Jr. herself was afraid that her father would be very offended by her for this. And so it was. Of course, now the resentment has already passed.


Elena's father Andriyan told Igor that Tereshkova forbade him to communicate with his daughter. And only when Elena got married, they were finally able to reunite family ties.


The daughter of Valentina Tereshkova (biography, personal life and photo, see above) has gone multifaceted paths ...

Russia was and remains the first in everything. We went into space first. The first space hero was Yuri Gagarin.

However, he was not the only one who was awarded the title of Hero of the Soviet Union. In addition to Gagarin, into space in different time about 10 astronauts were sent. Among them was Valentina Tereshkova, the first woman astronaut.

Valentina Tereshkova

In this article we will talk about who Valentina Tereshkova really is - what is interesting in her biography and personal life for our contemporaries.

Valentina Tereshkova was born in the Yaroslavl region on March 6, 1937. Its story began in a small village, which is difficult to see on the map of Russia (formerly the USSR). Her parents are from Belarus. None of them even dreamed that their daughter would become the first woman in the USSR to go into space.

Tereshkova's mother worked at a textile enterprise. My father was a tractor driver. Unfortunately, the Tereshkova family is not long time managed life happily. Valentina's father died in the Soviet-Finnish war. Naturally, this was a great loss for the family.

Valentina Tereshkova in childhood and adolescence

It's not even just that they have lost a loved one. There is one less breadwinner in the family. The mother had to work even more in order to provide her family with everything necessary at least to a minimum.

In 1945 Tereshkova went to school in Yaroslavl. Then no one knew about Valentina Tereshkova. Now this school bears her name. Students know the biography of Valentina inside and out. The personal life of the Soviet star is of little interest to schoolchildren. Her cosmic feat is important to them.

Valya was a diligent student. She didn't want to upset her mom, so she got exceptionally high grades. In addition to her studies, Tereshkova played the dombra. Vali had a good ear for music. It is possible that if Tereshkova had not become an astronaut, she would have linked her life with music.

After 7 years of study at school, Tereshkova went to work. She wanted to help her family financially, so she got a job at a tire factory in Yaroslavl. Despite the desire to support her family, the young girl did not quit her studies. She went to school in the evening.

Valentina Tereshkova was engaged in parachuting

Just at this time, Valentina was carried away by parachuting. She attended the local flying club. Tereshkova was a fearless girl. Unlike her “colleagues” in the club, jumping was very easy for her.

It was parachuting that became iconic in the biography of Valentina Tereshkova. At that time, a set of women parachutists with certain parameters was announced, one of whom was to fly into space.

Who else but Tereshkova could have gone into space?

Of course, Valentina Tereshkova was not the only contender for the title of the first Soviet female cosmonaut. In addition to her, there were 3 more girls. Why did you choose Tereshkova? One of the reasons is her impeccable biography and personal life. The second reason is that she really was the best prepared.

Let's remember who could go with Tereshkova to surf the galaxy. Among them were Valentina Ponomareva, Tatyana Kuznetsova, Irina Solovieva, Zhanna Erkina. Each of them dreamed of becoming the first.

Irina Solovieva, Tatiana Kuznetsova, Zhanna Yorkina, Valentina Ponomareva, Valentina Tereshkova and Sergey Korolev

The final word remained with Khrushchev. It was he who decided which of the girls would become the first astronaut. Perhaps, in addition to the reasons we have listed above, why we chose it, there were some others. However, nothing is known about them. Tereshkova alone knows why she went into space, and not someone else. Moreover, all the female candidates deserved it.

Valentina Tereshkov in her youth

How was the fate of the other girls?

Two of the girls never went into space. However, this did not stop them from arranging their lives. the best way... Ponomareva became an aviation colonel. She defended her dissertation and now works at the Institute of the History of Natural Science and Technology.

Valentina Tereshkova in training

Solovyova, like Ponomareva, is a candidate of sciences. She works at the cosmonaut training test center. Solovyova also took part in Antarctic and Arctic expeditions. The famous women's team "Metelitsa" became her home.

After the flight, Valentina Tereshkova was nicknamed "Miss Universe" by the foreign press. From a girl unknown to anyone, she became a real star cosmic scale. Now the journalists wanted to know everything about her: her biography, something from the personal life of the astronaut.

For Valentina, June 16, 1963 was a decisive day. She was in orbit under the call sign "Seagull". Before Tereshkova, only 10 people committed space trip around the Earth.

Valentina Tereshkova preparing for a flight into space

For 3 days, while Tereshkova was outside the borders of our planet, journalists learned more and more about her. She returned to earth as the most famous girl in the Soviet Union. She was solemnly greeted at the airport. Tereshkova walked the red carpet and was nominated for awards. She became the only woman general in Russia.

The authorities in every possible way supported the myth that a man from outer space seemed to be returning from a resort. Naturally, being in aircraft at that time, it was difficult to talk about any comfort. However, Soviet citizens had to believe that flight for cosmonauts was a matter of course.

Cosmonaut Valentina Tereshkova

Interesting facts from Tereshkova's flight

How do you imagine the aircraft of that time? It is now astronauts who use laptops, read newspapers and have fun in flight. In the 60s, at least minimal comfort could only be dreamed of.

The cosmonaut must lie down all the time in flight. He could not walk or move anywhere. Agree, lying for 3 days in one position is not an easy task. Moreover, for some it is simply not feasible. Only not for Tereshkova and other male cosmonauts who had already flown into space before her.

Valentina Tereshkova in space

It is known that Yuri Gagarin, returning from his first flight, could not recover for several days in a row. The man forgot his name, date and the name of the constructor aircraft... Gagarin is one of those people who have always been cheerful and energetic. However, after returning from space, Yuri was in melancholy for several days in a row. If even a strong man in body and spirit behaves this way after the flight, then what could be said about a woman, albeit not as fragile as others.

Now that the glory of Valentina Tereshkova has subsided a little and only a few are still interested in her biography and personal life, she is ready to tell how the flight actually took place.

Initially, they wanted to send the girl into space in a brand new lieutenant's uniform. Later Tereshkova was sent to change. The authorities decided that there was no need for a "militaristic note" here.

The start of the flight was surprisingly successful. But what happened next, only Tereshkova and the launch leaders knew. It turns out that an inaccuracy was made in the automatic program of the aircraft.

Valentina Tereshkova and Yuri Gagarin

It cannot be called insignificant. The mistake was so serious that the girl could simply not return to earth. The flying ship was oriented so that instead of descending, it raised its orbit. It turns out that Tereshkova did not approach the Earth, but moved away from it.

Naturally, Tereshkova immediately reported this problem to Korolev. The day after the flight, the system was corrected. Gradually the ship adjusted itself to the correct course.

Nobody knew about this mistake for several decades. Valentina Tereshkova decided to tell about it only when such information began to penetrate the press without her knowledge.

Personal life of Tereshkova

Some time ago, information was circulating on the Internet that Valentina Vladimirovna Tereshkova was unhappy in her personal life. As if her biography was changed by Khrushchev, who married her to Vali's first husband, Andriyan Nikolaev. In fact, this is all fiction.

Valentina Tereshkova with her first husband Andriyan Nikolaev

Tereshkova's first husband began caring for her even before the flight. Andriyan was 10 years older than Valentina. Perhaps this is one of the reasons why they broke up. The lovers got married 5 months after Tereshkova's flight.

Some of Valentina's acquaintances believed that their marriage would really be good only for politics or science. After all, the lovers were completely different. Valentine is fire. Andrian is water. Both Tereshkova and Nikolaev were strong-willed people. To yield to another is an incomprehensible task for them. This was noticed by many.

The marriage of Tereshkova and Nikolaev lasted 19 years. A year after the wedding, their daughter was born.

Valentina was constantly on the road around the country. Her husband at this time was preparing for a new flight (Nikolaev was also an astronaut).

Tereshkova has repeatedly admitted in a circle of loved ones that her first husband is a real despot. It is possible that last years life together they were together only for the sake of their daughter. The couple broke up when she was 18 years old.

Valentina Tereshkova with her husband and daughter

Tereshkova and Nikolaev stopped appearing together in 1979. At that time, a divorce meant that the career of astronauts would have to end. This is especially true of Nikolaev. Moreover, some cosmonauts were actually suspended from work due to divorces. This could also have a detrimental effect on Valentine. She was at that time the chairman of the Committee Soviet women.

According to some reports, Brezhnev played one of the main roles in the biography of Valentina Tereshkova. It was he who resolved the divorce issue. It was lucky that Vali had only one daughter out of her children. Plus, at the time of the divorce, she was already an adult.

Tereshkova's second husband

The second marriage for Tereshkova was happier. They met in 1978. Tereshkova hoped to fly into space again. For this, she passed a medical examination. Her second husband, Yuli Shaposhnikov, was one of the members of the medical commission who passed the verdict to the astronauts.

Valentina Tereshkova and Julius Shaposhnikov

Relatives and friends of Tereshkova say that it was immediately obvious from Valentina and Yulia that they were in love with each other. The couple had no children. But this did not prevent them from being happy. Look at the photo. Here Valentina is depicted with her second husband.

Valentina Tereshkova: photo

Tereshkova lived with her second husband for 20 years. It is possible that they would have been together to this day. However, in 1999, Julius died.

What is Tereshkova doing now?

Having learned about the biography of Valentina Tereshkova, her personal life and children, readers will be interested to know what the former astronaut is doing now.

Valentina Tereshkova now

This year, Valentina celebrated her 80th birthday. She is currently a deputy State Duma... Tereshkova is trying to do everything and even a little more for her native region - the Yaroslavl region.

Her name was Seagull. This was her callsign in space. And on Earth, on the roof of her house, there is a weather vane in the form of this bird. Her mansion is located next to Star City. At one time, she was able to single-handedly make a space flight. She is Valentina Tereshkova. Read the details of this fragile woman's flight into space in the article.

Difficult military childhood

The biography of Valentina Tereshkova began in the spring of 1937 in one of the villages of the Yaroslavl province. Her parents were from Belarus. The astronaut's mother worked at a textile enterprise, and her father was a tractor driver. Unfortunately, her dad died during Soviet-Finnish conflict... Accordingly, the entire household and the upbringing of three children fell on the shoulders of the mother. Moreover, the Great Patriotic War began soon.

Undoubtedly, little Vali's childhood turned out to be very difficult. Devastation and despair reigned in the country.

When this terrible war ended, the future astronaut went to first grade. She studied very well. In addition, she had a good ear for music. That is why she began to learn to play the domra.

However, when she finished seventh grade, she had to go to night school. She was forced to help her mother and earn money. Thus, young Valentina moved to Yaroslavl and got a job there at a tire factory.

When she graduated high school, entered the technical school of light industry. Of course, within these walls I comprehended science in absentia, like most young people in those days.

Aeroclub in Yaroslavl

After becoming a student, Valentina began attending the city flying club over the weekend. Parachute jumping was practiced in this institution. And she really liked these classes.

In general, the future astronaut performed more than 160 jumps. By by and large it was a solid indicator, especially for the fairer sex. Valentina was even assigned a sports category.

In fact, she could no longer imagine herself without parachuting. And thanks to this hobby, he began to join the team of space explorers.

In the cosmonaut corps

After graduating from a technical school, and this happened in 1960, Valentina got a job at a plant called Krasny Perekop. In addition to the direct work process, she headed the Komsomol organization there.

In short, her life and career seemed to develop according to a standard scenario for Soviet man... However, chance intervened in this story. The fact is that in 1962, Academician Sergei Korolev intended to send a woman into space. Of course, this idea was approved by the members of the Central Committee of the first Soviet state, including Secretary General Nikita Khrushchev.

To implement the bold idea, the project leaders began to look for a suitable candidate. Let's notice right away that there were a lot of people who wanted to go into space. Space industry workers had to search for applicants from hundreds of possible.

At the same time, strict requirements were imposed on all participants in the selection. The fairer sex should weigh no more than 70 kg, height - 170 cm. In addition, these girls should have a decent number of parachute jumps.

There was also another important circumstance. When choosing, leaders took into account a number of aspects of ideological and political literacy. They also considered the candidates' ability to publicize. As a discharger for parachuting and the head of the factory Komsomol organization Tereshkova, in principle, was an ideal contender. She fit all the criteria. In short, she was considered an ideologically reliable person.

As a result, five girls were chosen for the woman-piloted space flight. Of course, Tereshkova was among them. All of them were officially called up for army service... They became privates and began to train hard. And the conditions in the class were pretty tough. Let's say they had to spend ten whole days in an isolation chamber.

They say that the project leaders chose Tatyana Morozycheva as a result. By the way, Valentina studied with her in the Yaroslavl club. And she made more parachute jumps than Tereshkova.

Be that as it may, the members of the last medical board found out that Tatiana was pregnant. Thus, it finally became clear that Valentina would still go into space.

Flight

When she realized that she would soon be in space, she tried to hide her plans from her family. She said then that she was going to leave for the next parachuting competition.

So what year did Valentina Tereshkova fly? The event took place in the middle of the summer of 1963. Her call sign was Chaika. The start of Vostok-6 went smoothly. The first space flight of Valentina Tereshkova lasted more than two days. During this time, the device made 48 orbits around the Earth.

The woman endured the space voyage rather badly. The duration of Valentina Tereshkova's space flight is 70 hours. But they turned out to be literally hell for her.

As it turned out, there was an inaccuracy in the Vostok-6 automatic program. The fact is that the ship was oriented somewhat differently than it should have been. And Tereshkova did not approach the planet at all, but moved away from it. She felt sick and dizzy. At the same time, the spacesuit was not allowed to be removed. On the second day of the flight, the lower leg began to hurt.

Valentina Tereshkova in space was forced to sharply limit her movements. She sat almost motionless. However, she still managed to put the new data into the computer. By the way, she did not tell anyone about this emergency, except for the flight directors. Actually, Korolev himself then asked her to remain silent.

The problems that arose in the astronaut had an explanation in terms of physiology. They say that when the medical commission examined her before the flight, the results were very poor. However, at the direction of Khrushchev, she was still allowed to go on a flight.

Be that as it may, despite her physical condition during the flight into space, Valentina Vladimirovna Tereshkova was able to withstand all the tests. She managed not only to regularly keep a journal on board, but also to photograph. Subsequently, these images were useful in further space travel. In a word, she held on and sent extremely positive reports to Earth.

Landing

The spacecraft has landed on the territory of Altai. True, when, after a space flight, Valentina Tereshkova (year - 1963) ejected, she hit her helmet very hard. She received a large bruise on her temple and cheek. As a result, when she was found, she was practically unconscious.

She was urgently brought to the capital and hospitalized. And a little later, doctors reported that the life and health of the first woman astronaut was out of danger.

When she finally came to her senses, the newsreel staff managed to make a staged shooting. As if after a flight into space, Valentina Tereshkova (date of the event - June 16, 1963) was in the apparatus. Extras ran to him. Then they opened the lid and saw a cheerful and smiling Tereshkova. These frames then flew around the entire planet.

Subsequently, as a reward, Tereshkova was given a three-room apartment in her homeland, in Yaroslavl. Here she lived for almost three years, after which she finally settled in the capital.

Woman symbol

The seagull actually returned from space as a female symbol. The fairer sex began to imitate her. They did haircuts for Tereshkova. Appeared in stores wrist watch with the name "The Seagull".

Party leaders constantly invited her to the Kremlin receptions. A row public organizations included it in the meetings.

The government awarded her, in addition to the star of the Hero, prestigious awards. She became the only one in Soviet army a woman general. In addition, she became a hero of such republics as Mongolia and Bulgaria.

She also received the title of "Greatest Woman of the Twentieth Century." A minor planet, streets in cities, Evpatoria embankment, a square in Tver, city schools, a museum and a planetarium were named in her honor. In addition, one of the lunar craters was named after her.

Public figure

After the flight into space, Valentina Tereshkova (the date of the event is already known to you) began working as an instructor and spacecraft tester.

Two years later, she began studying at the Air Force Academy and five years later received a red diploma.

During her studies, she wrote almost fifty working papers in this specialization. But since 1966 she was actively engaged in social activities... She became a deputy to the Supreme Soviet of the Soviet Union. She was also the second person in International Federation women. It was then that they began to call her the Iron Lady.

To be honest, Tereshkova was very burdened by this party load. She said that she did not receive any money for her social work. And I always dreamed of a new flight. She even tried to break into a new cosmonaut corps. However, after the death of Gagarin, the Soviet government decided to protect the "first".

Valentina continued to be interested in space. She dreamed of going on a flight to Mars. At the same time, she understood that this flight would be one-way ...

In the 90s she was the head of the Association international cooperation and the Council for the Coordination of the Activities of Russian Science Centers.

And at the end of this decade, she began working at the Cosmonaut Training Center. She received the post of senior researcher there.

Present time

Since 2008, Tereshkova has collaborated with the party " United Russia". She was a deputy of the State Duma. She always helped her Yaroslavl school and some other children's institutions. Thanks to her, a university, a planetarium and a river station were opened in Yaroslavl.

In the spring of 2008, she turned out to be a torchbearer domestic stage games in Beijing.

Three years later, she again became the people's choice.

In 2014, she carried the Russian flag at the Sochi Olympics.

And in 2015, she headed the non-profit charitable foundation, which was called "Memory of Generations".

In 2016, she once again won the election race, becoming a deputy of the State Duma.

Orbital marriage

Five months after the landmark flight into space, Valentina Tereshkova (year - 1963) got married. Cosmonaut Andrian Nikolaev was her chosen one. This act was too unexpected for many. At least the residents of Yaroslavl knew that she allegedly had a fiancé. True, the journalists could not find him.

Be that as it may, the 35-year-old cosmonaut Nikolaev was actually courting young Valentina. She was then twenty-six. Many believed that this relationship would not last long. They were too different - strong and strong-willed. They say that the head of the Soviet state, Nikita Khrushchev, married them himself. There was no such stellar, cosmic, orbital pair yet. But this marriage still lasted for nineteen years.

The couple also had their first-born - daughter Lena. At one time, she graduated excellently from both school and a medical institute. She works as an orthopedic surgeon. She has two sons - Alexey and Andrey.

In the late 70s, the space couple began to appear together less often. Divorce was out of the question. For for the "immoral" Nikolaev could easily be dismissed from the cosmonaut corps. Moreover, in fact, then two applicants for astronauts were expelled due to divorces. And Tereshkova, the head of the Committee, is somehow uncomfortable to be in a state of divorce.

They say that Brezhnev saved the situation. He personally agreed to this divorce. By this time, Tereshkova was in love again.

Second marriage

With the new chosen one, Valentina Tereshkova, whose photo you have the opportunity to see in the article, met back in 1978. By this time, she was again in the cosmonaut corps and hoped that she would go on her new space journey. And Yuli Shaposhnikov at that time served in the medical academy. He checked the health of the astronauts. The staff called him "hard worker" and "shy". And Valentina herself always spoke warmly about him too.

Then it was clear that they were in love. They say that because of the new novel, Shaposhnikov left his family.

They lived together for almost two decades. During this time, the husband of Tereshkova was able to head the Institute of Traumatology and Orthopedics. He also became a major general. But in 1999, he died of cancer.

Recent history

On this moment Tereshkova has practically no close people left. There was a time when she was very fond of her own younger brother. His name was Vladimir. He worked as a cameraman in Star City. Several years ago he was gone.

Mom Valentina has also been gone for a long time. Until recently, she was looking for her father. As mentioned earlier, he died during the Soviet-Finnish war. It was known that he died a heroic death on the territory of the Karelian Isthmus. But his grave, of course, did not exist then. And only in the late 80s, the head of the defense department D. Yazov helped her find his burial. He was able to allocate funds to fly over the area. As a result, a fraternal burial was found in the forest. Tereshkova was even able to erect a monument there. Since then, she regularly visits this place.

Despite her age, she can still boast of her good health. Although in 2004 she underwent heart surgery. Otherwise, she would have suffered a heart attack.

Until recently, Chaika continues to do a lot for the native region. And in 1996, the head of the school where she studied fell ill. At this moment, the teacher needed an urgent operation. Thanks to Valentina, she was operated on in the capital. And it's free.

The female symbol has great connections. True, little is known about this side of her life. In the 80s, she "closed" from the media because of the stupidest articles about her. Her silence was broken only a few years ago.

The first woman astronaut has something to hide. That is why we will never see a frank book published. Valentina Vladimirovna About Me. It's a pity. If she wrote at least half of the whole truth, the memories could become a world bestseller.

The point is not only in the sensational marriage with Nikolaev and not only in their divorce. When a famous person most of life is hiding from journalists, inevitably one wonders: why? After all, Tereshkova had a happy, in her words, marriage that lasted 20 years; her daughter became a doctor, gave birth to her two grandchildren ... In the end, the first woman-cosmonaut will forever remain the first, and this is also a kind of happiness. However, a moratorium on questions about Valentina Vladimirovna was established by her daughter Helena and former (now deceased) spouse: cosmonaut # 3 Andriyan Nikolaev.

Once they were happy to talk about a famous countrywoman, perhaps in her native Yaroslavl region. Now there are almost no witnesses of Tereshkova's non-stellar life there either. The more valuable are the memories of her friends and relatives.

Born on the stove

Finding the village of Maslennikovo, where Valentina Tereshkova was born, was not easy. We went to see her grandmother's house - we got stuck. Yes, and the hut, where at Vladimir Aksenovich and Elena Feodorovna Tereshkovs the second daughter Valya was born, has not survived. Even the Kosmos Museum in the village of Nikulskoye was closed: apparently, the building was erected in a hurry, and it quickly fell into disrepair. Then it was most likely restored. But from March 1 to June 15 of this year, the museum is locked up again: a re-exhibition. Perhaps, on the day of the 55th anniversary of the flight, the heroine is expected here.

- Valentina's father died in Finnish when she was 2 years old, but she remembers well how he put her on a horse, - she said former director museum Galina Agrafonova.- Vladimir Aksenovich was very handsome, and Valya was called a folder's daughter. She and paternal grandmother Matryona Titovna She loved very much, often came to her later from Yaroslavl.

Valentina Tereshkova (center) among her friends. 1956 year. Photo: RIA Novosti

They said that Valya was a stubborn girl. She was not afraid to go to the forest alone, she knew all the mushroom and berry places. Once, in Moscow, Valentina Vladimirovna admitted that Maslennikovo was so called because there were a lot of butter around. She was perky, brave. At the age of 7 she asked to be put on a horse, fed the animal from her palm. She jumped into the pond not only as a soldier, but also upside down, which aroused the envy of the boys. Later, in Yaroslavl, she did the same from the Perekopsky bridge. And there, 15 meters to the water ...

- In the summer, we all gathered at my grandmother in Maslennikov, - she recalled cousin Tereshkova Tamara Kabanova, who lived at the Chebokovo station. - From Yaroslavl, Valya usually came from older sister Lyusya, their brother Volodya was rare. What did you play? Now I don’t remember. Then there was nothing, not even dolls. And they grew up - they helped my grandmother: clean up with the cattle, in the garden. When Valya was in school, she had a camera, she loved to take pictures ... Many years later, we went to see her grandmother in the cemetery. Only there was little time for conversations: with her, a lot of bosses always came. In general, cousins ​​often turned to her.

The Tereshkovs had three children. The youngest, Volodya, was born when his father was no longer alive. Vladimir Aksenovich, a tanker, was drafted into service in 1939, in the same year he died. Elena Fedorovna was left alone and never married again.

The story of the acquaintance of Tereshkova's parents is amazing. Volodya came to the Prokladovo farm to get married. But the girl did not like that he was a peasant, her clothes were poor, and she refused him. And the girlfriend standing next to Lena Kruglova admitted: "Well, in vain, I would love to go for him." The groom was not taken aback and immediately proposed to his girlfriend.

After the wedding, his mother Matryona Titovna invited the young to separate. We bought an old house: there Valentina was born. On the stove. Having accepted the baby, the midwife wrapped the future astronaut in a sheepskin coat.

“There were no kindergartens then,” said Galina Agrafonova. - Vali's mother worked on a collective farm: a milkmaid on a farm. Neat, principled. She didn't like gossip. The children helped with the housework. It even seems to me that Valya went to school not at the age of 7, but at 8: for a year she was babysitting with Volodya.

Mother did not allow studying after school

Elena Fedorovna had a hard time. After the war, she and her children left for Yaroslavl to stay with their mother. They lived in poverty. In a yellowed photograph in the school museum, Tereshkova without a white apron. For many years she wore a faded old dress made of twill. The class teacher then wrote in the characteristic: "The family is financially poorly provided, they live in a small room of a private house, from the furniture - only a bed, a table, a few chairs."

- The guys wore potatoes, bread in handkerchiefs, milk in bottles, - the former director of school number 32, where Tereshkova studied, picked up the conversation, Maya Nyushina... - More prosperous parents gave an egg. The dainty was a fool, or cake. Sunflower, hemp. If linen is generally happiness! The ink was poured into a bottle, the pen was cherished like the apple of an eye. Nevertheless, Valya studied well. There were fours in physics, she knew mathematics well, she was very fond of history. At first there were some disagreements with the Russian, but then everything worked out.

"Modest, but demanding", - said the class teacher Tamara Klimova and invited the guys to choose Valya as their headman. Tereshkova played in the school orchestra on the dombra, loved to sing and willingly went skiing. And soon parachuting firmly entered her life. Valya Shashkova from the parallel class she invited me to the section, then she dropped it herself, and Tereshkova got carried away.

However, Valentina did not think to become a professional athlete. Since childhood, she dreamed of being ... a train driver. She avidly read books about Polzunov and after the 7th grade she wanted to enter the railway technical school. Mom didn’t allow it. The family still lived hard: Valya had to go to work.

Pilot-cosmonaut Valentina Tereshkova (4th right) among sportsmen-parachutists. 1961 Photo: RIA Novosti

- Valentina was a bracelet in the women's team of the 5th assembly shop, - recalled the site foreman at the Yaroslavl tire plant Larisa Sidyakina.- Made wheel frames for Belarus tractors. The work is very hard, but they paid more than at other enterprises, and they got a job here due to great pull.

It was necessary to get up before dawn. The trams did not run well, there were a lot of people ... Less than a year later, my sister and mother persuaded Valya to go to the Krasny Perekop industrial fabrics plant, where they worked themselves. Closer to home. In addition, it was time to think about the future: after graduating from evening school, Tereshkova entered a textile technical school.

Ribbon maker, roving maker, grease maker ... Before becoming the secretary of the Komsomol organization, Valentina experienced all the hardships of working at the plant.

- Under her, the Komsomol life simply boiled, - the chief power engineer of Krasny Perekop shared his memories Vyacheslav Romanov.- The entire committee was flooded with parachutes: she headed the section ... They did not live well: from paycheck to paycheck. But we came to them for tea as to our home. Valya cooked well. We did not consider ourselves poor then. We tried to dress fashionably, did not starve. Until 1967, there was absolutely everything in stores and it was cheap. Valya received 120-130 rubles as a secretary, and a good dinner in the dining room cost a maximum of three rubles. The bread is free. At that time, they drank little alcohol. They drank tea, dry wine, very rarely - vodka. Her brother Volodya drank a little more ...

Pilot-cosmonaut, Hero of the Soviet Union Valentina Tereshkova with her mother Elena Feodorovna Tereshkova (second from right). 1963 Photo: RIA Novosti / Alexander Mokletsov

According to the chief power engineer, Tereshkova wanted to link her fate with the plant, she even entered the correspondence textile institute ... But very soon her life changed dramatically. She still jumped with a parachute, was injured. She was silent about the fact that she was in the cosmonaut corps. And shortly before the flight, I arrived at home and opened up with someone: "Perhaps soon you will hear about me."

- My mother was summoned to the village council, asked where Vladimir Aksenovich served, how he died, - said my cousin.

A little over a month later, on June 16, 1963, the whole world learned about the flight of the first woman-cosmonaut. And Yaroslavl that day just stood on his ears.

- Hearing the message, I immediately ran after Elena Fedorovna: "Go quickly, Valya flew!" They didn't have a TV, - recalled the Tereshkovs' neighbor Nadezhda Isaeva. - And she cried: "Lord, I would not have broken ..."

Did Khrushchev marry astronauts

Whether she wanted it or not, after the flight, Valentina became a completely different person. Circumstances demanded that. Soon after the flight, I arrived in Yaroslavl in my car. A meeting was organized at the plant. And all the people were waiting at the gate when famous woman will go back. And Tereshkova was escorted to the shop and taken by the back door to the pier to the boat ...

Then there was a meeting with fellow countrymen at the stadium. And again, people were waiting for the 26-year-old heroine, getting ready, dressing up. But they came and saw nothing.

“Later we met with her,” Romanov shared. “But she could no longer be herself. Maintained a different image. All the time with her retinue, which did not let her go for a minute. The secretaries of regional and city committees wanted to be around. She kind of asked, as before, "How are you?" But ... in a different tone. The speech was dominated by high phrases. And we learned about her life only from the newspapers.

The first was she, a simple Yaroslavl weaver. And other women from the cosmonaut corps, naturally, did not like it. Galina Agrafonova, who met with some of them, recalled that Irina Solovieva, and Valentina Ponomareva were, to put it mildly, unhappy ...

“In place of Valentina, Tatyana Morozycheva should have been,” Maya Nyushina confessed. - World champion, medals - to the floor. They were bosom friends, they studied together, but Tatyana had much more jumps: 3.5 thousand ...

However, Morozycheva just got married, became pregnant, and was expelled from the detachment. It was rumored that then she drank herself, having sold all her medals.

The press wrote a lot about Tereshkova and her understudies. All the secret becomes clear someday. However, no one, except for close people, knows for certain the history of Valentina Vladimirovna's first marriage and divorce.

How much has been said about the fact that two cosmonauts got married Khrushchev, however, whoever we communicated with, everyone as one convinced us that Tereshkova could not marry forcibly. Third woman astronaut Elena Kondakova summed up: “The members of the first detachment were so privileged people that Nikita Sergeevich himself listened to them. And if Valentina Vladimirovna had said her 'no', no Central Committee of the CPSU would have been able to force it. "

Residents of Yaroslavl, who knew Tereshkova before the flight, recalled: she seemed to have some kind of fiancé before Nikolaev ... But who is he, where? .. One newspaper named the name Roberta Silina, with whom Valentina was engaged in the flying club and whom she supposedly had to marry. However, at home, no one admitted that they knew this man.

“Close relationships were rare then,” Romanov said. - Although, of course, Tereshkova was courted. He was friends with Valentin Aristov. They went to the cinema, to the theater, walked in the evenings, probably kissed. And they did not hide their relationship.

- Nikolaev also had a bride in Chuvashia, and his mother wanted him to marry her, - Nyushina revealed the secret. - So what now? He also had a girlfriend in Smolensk, where he served. I was even told there that Tereshkova had stolen her fiancé.

In a word, with regard to Tereshkova's personal life in the past half century, there are more questions than answers.

Marriage of pilot-cosmonauts Valentina Tereshkova and Andriyan Nikolaev. 1963 Photo: RIA Novosti / Valery Shustov

“In the eighties, they wrote that Valentina was lying on a dusty sofa and sipping Armenian brandy,” Agrafonova recalled. - Her assistant complained: that's why we are afraid to say something once again. When she came here, we were instructed: for God's sake, do not ask about your personal life.

They also talked about the daughter of Tereshkova and Nikolaev. They said that the girl was born prematurely, deaf. Fortunately, everything was in order, except that Lena suffered from strabismus as a child. They put glasses on her, covering good eye to fix another and fix the problem. She graduated with honors from high school, medical institute.

By the way, Andrian Nikolaev, who refused to talk about ex-wife, admitted that he had no doubts about his daughter's health. I was so confident in myself. He was still cheerful at 70, strong man... But ... There was a feeling that she and Tereshkova entered into a parity agreement on nondisclosure of the facts of their family life... And, if so, it is worth respecting a man who has not stooped to "bed memories." Although, without a doubt, he would have earned decent money from his memoirs.

- I talked a lot with Nikolaev, - said Agrafonova. - This is a very interesting, internally rich person. It was easy with him. Although Valentina Vladimirovna complained that Andriyan's relatives tortured him: “Why do all of our people stay at the hotel, and some will leave him, others come. He is sitting in the corridor, writing something on his knee. And relatives are sleeping in the office. " In Zvezdnoye they had, though a four-room, but a small apartment. In the living room on both sides there are bookcases, a table and a rack with gifts, an office for two, two small bedrooms. My daughter slept with her grandmother.

Mother of Valentina Nikolaeva-Tereshkova Elena Fedorovna with her granddaughter Elena. 1964 Photo: RIA Novosti / Alexander Mokletsov

If people disagree, then there is a reason. So said the women who knew Tereshkova. Several years later, during the operation, Valentina Vladimirovna met with the head of CITO Yuli Shaposhnikov. They said that he quit because of her old family... For nothing that "a modest man and a hard worker", as they talked about him. And Valentina Vladimirovna always spoke warmly about her second husband (now also deceased).

“Lobsters? No problem!"

Unfortunately, the first woman-cosmonaut had almost no really close people. Beloved younger brother Volodya, who worked as a cameraman in Zvezdny, died long ago. Mom left even earlier. For a very long time Valentina Vladimirovna was looking for the grave of her father, who died on the Karelian Isthmus. Thanks to one of the marshals of the Ministry of Defense, who allocated funds for flying around the area, I found a huge fraternal burial, overgrown with forest. She erected a monument and regularly visits it.

Now Tereshkova's retinue is much smaller. But she is as hardworking as ever. The school teachers who once visited her told me: she got up at 6 in the morning, cooked millet porridge, fed everyone ... She did a lot for Yaroslavl, helps people. Once the headmaster of the school, Maya Nyushina, fell seriously ill and needed an operation. Thanks to Valentina Vladimirovna, it was made in Moscow for free.

Valentina Tereshkova with her brother Vladimir. 1971 year. Photo: RIA Novosti / Alexander Mokletsov

Cosmonaut Kondakova told how on the second day after the landing of the crew (Elena flew with Polyakov and Viktorenko) Tereshkova came: "Guys, what would you like?"

- We were in rehab, and my husband had already bought everything that was possible. But Tereshkova could not leave it like that: “You have been in space for a long time, you need fresh fruits and vegetables.” And then Valera half-jokingly said: "Valentina Vladimirovna, we would like lobsters ..." She: "Valerochka, no problem!" And what do you think? A couple of days later, I brought fresh raspberries, blackberries, blueberries, lobsters, baked myself fresh bread... Someone else would have ignored him, but she showed such concern ...

The governments of the USSR and Russia have never ignored the first woman-cosmonaut. Tereshkova has huge connections, thanks to which, they say, she became a general at the last moment before retiring. For many years - on the state and social work, State Duma deputy of the 6th and 7th convocations. But ... Speaking frankly, not much is known about this side of her life ...

Yaroslavl - Art. Chebokovo—with. Nikulskoe - Moscow.

The first woman who went back in 1963 to conquer interplanetary space was Valentina Tereshkova. Alone, she piloted a spacecraft, thereby providing scientists with material to study the effect on female body various environmental factors.

Until now, the legendary female astronaut remains the first and only one who was able to ever fly a comic spaceship without the help of other crew members. Valentina Tereshkova, whose name is forever inscribed in the history of the space industry in golden letters, in the eyes of many compatriots and people around the world remains an amazing and fragile woman with an iron character.

The woman, who became a legendary figure in the field of astronautics and was the first to receive the rank of major general, was born and raised in a family of ordinary workers. Valentina Tereshkova, whose biography will be described briefly in this publication, was born on one of the beautiful spring days - March 6, back in 1937. How the life and career of Valentina Tereshkova, who received the status of "the first woman-cosmonaut", developed further, read on.

Early childhood and adolescence

The life path of the future Hero of the Soviet Union began in the village of Bolshoye Maslennikovo, located west of Yaroslavl, in the Tutaevsky district. The girl's parents, who settled here, not only were engaged in housekeeping, but also promoted the industry in the country: the mother - textile, and the father - agricultural production.

Valentina Tereshkova's mother, Elena Fedorovna, worked in the team of a local textile enterprise. The father of the legendary woman-cosmonaut, Vladimir Aksenovich, was an ordinary worker, plowing the Yaroslavl fields on a tractor.

The family of the future cosmonaut devoted themselves completely to work in order to put the country on its feet in the post-war period. Therefore, the childhood of young Vali was not as joyful as she would have liked. early years Valentina calls her life a difficult childhood, memories of which are associated with devastation, grief, despair and pain of loss. The fact is that little Vali's father died during the hostilities during the Soviet-Finnish war (1939-1940).

Five years after the death of his father, when the Great Patriotic War, in 1945, Valentina Tereshkova entered school. But, alas, the girl did not have a chance to master the sciences perfectly. After 7 years, she had to leave school. The reason for this was the difficult financial situation of the family, because Vali's father died at the front, and it was difficult for her mother to manage the household alone.

Therefore, the future cosmonaut Tereshkova, a few days after finishing the seventh grade, leaves for the city of Yaroslavl, where she gets a job at the plant. But Valentina's thirst for knowledge did not disappear. During the day she worked at a tire factory, and after work she ran to classes in the "evening" to master the general curriculum along with other people representing the working class of Soviet society. And already at that time, the future cosmonaut showed an interest in flights.

Vali's new hobby

Valentina Tereshkova began her journey as an astronaut around 1954, when a 17-year-old girl signed up for an aeroclub. With pleasure and eagerness, Valya attended all the classes of the Yaroslavl club of air sports fans.

Jumping from an airplane with a parachute turned out to be especially exciting and exciting for her. Having learned how many jumps she made in total, you might be surprised, because the number 163 (namely, how many times Valentina jumped with a parachute) is a very outstanding indicator even for a man, not to mention that Valya was still a girl!

But classes in the air club did not foreshadow those heights that Valentina Vladimirovna Tereshkova was able to reach as a result.

By chance, parachutist Valya Tereshkova in the early 60s learns about the idea of ​​the famous Soviet designer and active figure in the rocket and space industry, Sergei Korolev, to send a woman on a stellar journey. She almost immediately became inflamed with the desire to go on a long space flight. Moreover, Valentina Tereshkova is one of the few candidates who ideally meet the criteria by which Sergei Korolev and other organizers of the project are selecting. Namely:

  • Height no more than 1 m 70 cm.
  • Weight no more than 70 kg.
  • Age not older than 30 years.

It must be said that there were practically no Soviet women who wanted to go on a journey to the stars, the exact duration of which was not reported at the initial stage of selection. Thus, Valentina Tereshkova became one of the candidates applying for a pilot position in the Vostok-6 spacecraft. As a result, only five girls passed the selection, who were waiting for intensive training and lengthy theoretical studies at the space school.

Interesting Facts. Valya Tereshkova surpassed other candidates according to the results of exams and other criteria of the final selection round and the training program for cosmonauts. In addition, she showed a high level of training in all practical exercises, and her medical indicators confirmed the ideal compliance with flight requirements and the ability to long stay in space.

But the most striking thing was that she decided to hide the real purpose of her departure from her loved ones: before the flight into space, Valya simply told everyone that she was leaving for the next parachuting competition. Relatives learned about Tereshkova's heroic journey already as a fait accompli after hearing the news on the radio.

3 - 2 - 1 ... Start

In what year did the historic flight of the first woman astronaut take place? In 1963, one of the June days. From that moment, the biography of Valentina Tereshkova began new round, where she is no longer just a parachutist and social activist, but also a woman who flew into space first and alone (that is, without a crew and team).

The legendary flight of the young Valentina Tereshkova took place around noon on June 16, 1963, according to Wikipedia. The spacecraft, piloted by a 26-year-old girl, entered uncharted space from the backup site of the world's largest launch complex Baikonur, designed to launch rockets and other aircraft. As the specialists who followed the takeoff of Vostok-6 later noted, she showed such a high level of professionalism during the launch, which was not demonstrated by the astronauts who flew to Tereshkova.

Those who are interested in the detailed details of Valentina Vladimirovna's travel among the stars, of course, want to know what it was like. exact time flight of an astronaut. It is worth noting that the duration of the stay of the first female pilot of the spacecraft in orbit did not exceed three days. To be more precise, Valya Tereshkova spent 4850 minutes on board the Vostok-6 spacecraft.

According to flight reports, the first woman in space flew 48 times around our planet, after which she steered the ship to its intended landing site. True, the equipment on spaceship began to fail several hours before the estimated landing time. As a result of the failure, Valentina Tereshkova was unable to start the Vostok-6 ship for landing by her own efforts. However, thanks to the automatic tracking function, the device was nevertheless landed on Earth, although many kilometers further from the intended reference point.

First to sail space woman V.V. Tereshkova landed, one might say, quite successfully on the morning of June 19 in the north-west of Altai, near small village... The first who were in those places and were able to provide first aid in freeing the woman-cosmonaut from the spacesuit from the spacesuit were two male shepherds.

After an extreme landing and a three-day starvation, Valya exchanged her supplies for food from local residents, which upset Sergei Korolev himself, who later announced that with him no other female representative of humanity would go to conquer space.

It will take a little less than a quarter of a century before a woman flies into space again, the second after Valentina Vladimirovna Tereshkova. But by that time, Sergei Korolev will already be buried in the cemetery.

After a stellar journey

As we said earlier, a representative of the labor class, at the age of 26, conquered space. And at the same age she got married, being already the owner of the title of "the first woman to conquer the vastness of space."

The wedding of Valentina Tereshkova and her chosen one, also cosmonaut Adriyan Nikolaev, was played in early November. On wedding photos Tereshkova, you can see that among those invited to the ceremony was Nikita Sergeevich Khrushchev himself.

This marriage gave a crack after about 5 years, when the family already had the daughter of Valentina Tereshkova - Nikolaeva Elena Adriyanovna. It is worth noting that she became the first child in the world who had both mom and dad in space.

Over time, life under the same roof with the "despot" (as Valentina Vladimirovna will call him a few years after the divorce) will become impossible, and the spouse will leave, taking her daughter and applying for an official divorce from the astronaut.

Although Tereshkova's personal life did not work out well the first time, the cosmonaut was still waiting for happiness. After an unsuccessful relationship with Adrian, she met her second husband, Yulia Shaposhnikova, with whom she was unable to acquire common children. Julius had nothing to do with astronautics, he died on the eve of the new millennium, in 1999.

But Valentina Tereshkova, being a widow, did not withdraw into herself. Moreover, leading an active social image life, for a long time she was directly involved in the development of the field of astronautics. Much has been accomplished in this industry thanks to the work of the first female astronaut.

As for the daughter of Valentina Tereshkova, Elena also married twice. And each time the pilot led her down the aisle:

  • In the first case, it was Mayorov I.A., who gave Elena the first son Alexei (date of birth 10/20/1995).
  • In the second - Rodionov A.Yu., who became the father of Elena's second son, Andrey (date of birth 06/18/2004).

Children bear the names of their fathers and are currently mastering sciences: the eldest is at Moscow State University, and the youngest is at school.

Celebrating her next anniversary in March 2017, the eighty-year-old female cosmonaut Tereshkova is still engaged in active political and social activities. The main priorities in her life are family and grandchildren, with whom Valentina Vladimirovna loves to spend her free time... Author: Elena Suvorova