Valentina Tereshkova, the first woman in space, is today a deputy in the State Duma.
Russia is marking the 75th birthday of the first woman in space, Soviet cosmonaut Valentina Tereshkova.
Tereshkova, who was born to a peasant family in the Yaroslavl region of central Russia, trained as a parachutist before being selected as one of five women to train with the Soviet space program.
She made international headlines in June 1963 when her Vostok-6 space capsule successfully completed 48 orbits around the Earth in a space flight lasting nearly three days.
PHOTO GALLERY -- A Look Back At Tereshkova's Career:
Russia Marks 50th Anniversary Of First Woman In Space
1/10Valentina Tereshkova completed 48 orbits of the Earth in June 1963.
Russia is marking the 50th anniversary of the first spaceflight by a woman, Soviet cosmonaut Valentina Tereshkova. She made international headlines on June 16, 1963, when her Vostok-6 space capsule blasted off. She successfully completed 48 orbits around the Earth in a space flight lasting nearly three days. (16 PHOTOS)
2/10Tereshkova with cosmonaut Yury Gagarin, the first man in space, at Lenin’s mausoleum in Red Square in 1963
Russia is marking the 50th anniversary of the first spaceflight by a woman, Soviet cosmonaut Valentina Tereshkova. She made international headlines on June 16, 1963, when her Vostok-6 space capsule blasted off. She successfully completed 48 orbits around the Earth in a space flight lasting nearly three days. (16 PHOTOS)
3/10Soviet leader Nikita Khrushchev (center) with Tereshkova and cosmonaut Valery Bykovsky in 1963. Bykovsky holds the endurance record for a solo space flight. He spent five days in orbit.
Russia is marking the 50th anniversary of the first spaceflight by a woman, Soviet cosmonaut Valentina Tereshkova. She made international headlines on June 16, 1963, when her Vostok-6 space capsule blasted off. She successfully completed 48 orbits around the Earth in a space flight lasting nearly three days. (16 PHOTOS)
4/10Tereshkova and Yury Gagarin pose with various Soviet honors in 1963.
Russia is marking the 50th anniversary of the first spaceflight by a woman, Soviet cosmonaut Valentina Tereshkova. She made international headlines on June 16, 1963, when her Vostok-6 space capsule blasted off. She successfully completed 48 orbits around the Earth in a space flight lasting nearly three days. (16 PHOTOS)
5/10Tereshkova visits Prague on a victory tour following her flight in 1963.
Russia is marking the 50th anniversary of the first spaceflight by a woman, Soviet cosmonaut Valentina Tereshkova. She made international headlines on June 16, 1963, when her Vostok-6 space capsule blasted off. She successfully completed 48 orbits around the Earth in a space flight lasting nearly three days. (16 PHOTOS)
6/10A matchbox label from 1963 featured a portrait of Tereshkova.
Russia is marking the 50th anniversary of the first spaceflight by a woman, Soviet cosmonaut Valentina Tereshkova. She made international headlines on June 16, 1963, when her Vostok-6 space capsule blasted off. She successfully completed 48 orbits around the Earth in a space flight lasting nearly three days. (16 PHOTOS)
7/10Tereshkova with her daughter Elena in January 1971
Russia is marking the 50th anniversary of the first spaceflight by a woman, Soviet cosmonaut Valentina Tereshkova. She made international headlines on June 16, 1963, when her Vostok-6 space capsule blasted off. She successfully completed 48 orbits around the Earth in a space flight lasting nearly three days. (16 PHOTOS)
8/10Then-President Vladimir Putin meets with Tereshkova in March 2007.
Russia is marking the 50th anniversary of the first spaceflight by a woman, Soviet cosmonaut Valentina Tereshkova. She made international headlines on June 16, 1963, when her Vostok-6 space capsule blasted off. She successfully completed 48 orbits around the Earth in a space flight lasting nearly three days. (16 PHOTOS)
9/10Then-President Vladimir Putin honors Tereshkova with the Order for Service for the Fatherland in May 2007.
Russia is marking the 50th anniversary of the first spaceflight by a woman, Soviet cosmonaut Valentina Tereshkova. She made international headlines on June 16, 1963, when her Vostok-6 space capsule blasted off. She successfully completed 48 orbits around the Earth in a space flight lasting nearly three days. (16 PHOTOS)
10/10An election billboard for Tereshkova, who ran successfully for a seat in the State Duma with the ruling United Russia party in February 2008
Russia is marking the 50th anniversary of the first spaceflight by a woman, Soviet cosmonaut Valentina Tereshkova. She made international headlines on June 16, 1963, when her Vostok-6 space capsule blasted off. She successfully completed 48 orbits around the Earth in a space flight lasting nearly three days. (16 PHOTOS)
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Russian Prime Minister and President-elect Vladimir Putin congratulated Tereshkova, saying she had "left an unforgettable page in the chronicles of conquering space."
Tereshkova is reportedly celebrating her birthday at Russia's State Duma, where she has been serving as a deputy with the ruling United Russia party since December.
