Happy birthday to Valentina Tereshkova, the first woman in space. She was born on March 6, 1937 in the village of Boyshoye Maslennikovo in central Russia. In June 1963, she lifted off aboard the Vostok 6 mission and she orbited the Earth 48 times, spending almost three days in space. Fun fact: In order to join the Cosmonaut Corps, Tereshkova was only honorarily inducted into the Soviet Air Force, making her the first civilian to fly in space. Two records, one trip.
Bonus fun fact: At the age of 77, she said last year that she was ready to come out of retirement to go on a one-way trip to Mars, her favorite planet.
