First Women in Space
Frequently Asked Questions and fast facts about the first female astronauts to travel to space.
Women in space FAQs
Who was the first woman in space?
The first woman to fly in space was Valentina Tereshkova, aboard the Vostok 6 space capsule on June 16-19, 1963. She was a cosmonaut in the Soviet Space program and became a national hero.
Who was the first American woman in space?
Sally Ride was the first American woman to travel into space on June 18, 1983 when she joined the crew of the Space Shuttle Challenger in NASA's STS-7 mission.
Who was the first black woman in space?
Mae Jemison was the first black woman to travel to space. She was a member of the STS-47 NASA space shuttle mission and traveled to space for 190 hours, 30 minutes, 23 seconds on the Space Shuttle Endeavour.
Who was the first British person in space?
Yes, astronaut Helen P. Sharman was the first British person to visit space during a privately funded Juno mission in May 1991. Her space voyage lasted 8 days. During that time she became the first woman to visit the Mir space station.
Who was the first woman on the ISS?
The first on-orbit assembly of International Space Station astronauts included Nancy J. Currie. Her mission, STS-88 on the Space Shuttle Endeavour, took place on December 1998. She was responsible for using the the space shuttle's robotic arm to join the American Unity Node 1 module to the Russian built Zaraya module.
Who was the first woman to complete a space walk?
Svetlana Savitskaya completed the first-ever spacewalk by a woman in 1984. She was also the first woman to go to space twice as a member of the Soviet Space Program.