Sunday marks an important anniversary in the annals of human spaceflight.
Valentina Tereshkova Photo Credit/NASA Goddard
On June 16, 1963, Soviet cosmonaut Valentina Tereshkova became the first woman to fly in space.
Now 77, Tereshkova circled the Earth 48 times flying solo over three days in the Vostok 6 spacecraft.
Her flight followed the first human spaceflight, a one day mission by Soviet cosmonaut Yuri Gagarin on April 12, 1961.
Recently, Tereshkova, who did not fly in space again, expressed a desire to join Mars One, a non profit Dutch initiative to establish a human colony on Mars.
As the golden anniversary of her flight approached, Tershkova was honored by Russian President Vladimir Putin.
Valentina Tereshkova, first female space traveler, contemplates an expedition to Mars.
Also, aboard the International Space Station, NASA astronaut Karen Nyberg offered a tribute.
“That ground breaking achievement in the early days of the space race was an important step for women representing many nations and cultures to consider new possibilities in life,” said Nyberg.