[FPSPACE] Valentina Leonidovna Ponomaryova

[spaceflightnews at gmail.com]

I just found an interesting piece on Ponomaryova at
http://www.askzoon.com/country-narratives/valentina-its-meaning-and-backgrou
nd-and-a-list-of-famous-names-who-used-or-use-this-name/ - see below.

Of particular interest was the following:-

“However she did not respond with standard Soviet clichés in interviews and
her feminism made the Soviet leadership uneasy, and this lead to the flight
profile being altered in March 1963”

 

I haven’t come across that before (clichés/feminism) – is this new or has it
appeared before?

 

 

 

Full extract:

Valentina Leonidovna Ponomaryova, (born 18 September, 1933) is a former
Soviet Cosmonaut. 

In December 1961, the selection of female cosmonauts was authorised by the
Soviet Government, with the specific intention of ensuring the first woman
in space was a Soviet citizen. In February 1962 Ponomaryova was selected in
a group of five female cosmonauts to be trained for a Vostok flight. The
group spent several months in intensive training, concluding with
examinations in November 1962, after which the four remaining candidates
were commissioned Junior Lieutenants in the Soviet Air Force. Ponomaryova
established herself one of the leading candidates with Valentina Tereshkova
and Irina Solovyeva, and a joint mission profile was developed that would
see two women launched into space, on solo Vostok flights on consecutive
days. The honour of being the first woman in space was to be given to
Valentina Tereshkova who would launch first on Vostok 5 while Ponomaryova
would follow her into orbit on Vostok 6. However she did not respond with
standard Soviet cliches in interviews and her feminism made the Soviet
leadership uneasy, and this lead to the flight profile being altered in
March 1963. Vostok 5 would now carry a male cosmonaut Valery Bykovsky flying
the joint mission with Tereshkova aboard Vostok 6 in June 1963. Tereshkova’s
back-up was Irina Solovyeva, with Ponomaryova in a supporting ’second
back-up’ role. 

Despite this setback, Ponomaryova remained with the program until 1969. She
was at one stage slated to fly on a circumlunar Soyuz flight in 1965 before
substantial delays in the Soyuz spacecraft led to the cancellation of this
flight. She was also lead an all-female crew on a ten day mission aboard
Voskhod 5 but the programme was cancelled before she had a chance to fly.
Ponomaryova retired in 1969 when it became clear that there were no plans
for a female Soyuz flight. 

She married fellow cosmonaut Yuri Ponomaryov in 1972 and the couple had two
children before divorcing. As with Valentina, Yuri did not get to fly into
space although he did serve on the Soyuz 18 backup crew.

 

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