July 25, 2014
Categories: Russia, Spacewalk

Today is the 30th anniversary of the first space walk performed by a woman.

It was Svetlana Yevgenyevna Savitskaya, a former Soviet aviator and cosmonaut who flew aboard Soyuz T-7 in 1982, becoming the second woman in space 19 years after Valentina Tereshkova.

She became the first woman to perform a space walk on July 25, 1984. It was a historic moment for the world cosmonautics. Svetlana conducted an EVA outside the Salyut 7 space station for 3 hours 35 minutes during which she cut and welded metals in space along with her colleague Vladimir Dzhanibekov. Of the Soviet/Russian spacewalkers for the moment, she is the only female.

She started training as a cosmonaut in 1980. Upon returning to Earth, Savitskaya was assigned as the commander of an all-female Soyuz crew to Salyut 7 in commemoration of the International Women’s Day, a mission that was later canceled.

She was twice awarded the Hero of the Soviet Union title.

She was also a test and sports pilot – starting from 1974 she set 18 international world records on MiG aircraft and three records in team parachute jumping. She won first place at the 6th FAI World Aerobatic Championship in 1970.

Savitskaya retired in 1993 from the Russian Air Force with the rank of Major.

 

More from this category:
September 7, 2015

ISS orbit was adjusted today, on September 7, 2015. According to calculations by MCC ballistics and navigational support service specialists Progress M-28M cargo vehicle thrusters…

full story
February 10, 2020

As part of the contract with a Human Spaceflight Center of Indian Space Research Organization, ISRO the GCTC on Monday, February 10, 2020, began the…

full story
September 23, 2019

Today, on September 23, 2019, the “Soyuz-FG” launch vehicle with the “Soyuz MS-15” spacecraft was rolled out from the Assembly and Testing building and installed…

full story
February 6, 2014

Russia successfully started its 2014 space flight program. Progress M-22M cargo vehicle  launched from Baikonur spaceport on February 5, 20.23 Moscow time, successfully docked with…

full story
April 3, 2014

National Aeronautics and Space Administration Agency (NASA) made a statement officially reporting on cease of cooperation with Russia on a number of joint projects except…

full story
June 2, 2015

Japanese space fan Satoshi Takamatsu won’t go to the International Space station on September 1 instead Sarah Brightman who cancelled her flight. Takamatsu has only…

full story
March 11, 2019

Today, on March 11, representatives of the technical management and the state commission at the Baikonur cosmodrome issued a decision on the readiness of the…

full story
December 3, 2014

At Baikonur spaceport specialists go on preparing Proton-M booster with Briz-M upper stage and Russian Yamal-401 telecommunication satellite for the launch from Baikonur. On December…

full story