The correct answer is A. Valentina Tereshkova.
Valentina Tereshkova was a Soviet cosmonaut and the first woman in space. She was born on March 6, 1937, in the village of Maslennikovo, Yaroslavl Oblast, Russian SFSR, Soviet Union. She was the youngest of three children. Her father was a tractor driver and her mother was a textile worker.
Tereshkova joined the Komsomol, the Young Communist League, when she was 16 years old. She was a skilled parachutist and had made over 100 jumps before she was selected to be a cosmonaut.
In 1962, Tereshkova was selected to be part of the Soviet space program. She was one of five women who were trained to be cosmonauts. The other four women were Irina Solovyova, Valentina Ponomareva, Svetlana Savitskaya, and Yelena Kondakova.
Tereshkova was launched into space on June 16, 1963, aboard the Vostok 6 spacecraft. She spent three days in space, orbiting the Earth 48 times. She returned to Earth on June 19, 1963.
Tereshkova’s flight was a major achievement for the Soviet space program. It showed that women could be just as capable as men of flying in space. Tereshkova’s flight also inspired many young women to pursue careers in science and engineering.
After her flight, Tereshkova continued to work for the Soviet space program. She was a member of the Supreme Soviet of the Soviet Union from 1966 to 1989. She also worked as a diplomat and a teacher.
Tereshkova died on June 6, 2013, at the age of 76. She was a pioneer in space exploration and an inspiration to women around the world.
The other options are incorrect.
- Option B, Sally Ride, was the first American woman in space. She was launched into space on June 18, 1983, aboard the Space Shuttle Challenger.
- Option C, Naidia Comenci, was a Romanian gymnast. She won the gold medal in the balance beam at the 1976 Summer Olympics.
- Option D, Tamara Press, was a Soviet track and field athlete. She won the gold medal in the shot put at the 1960 Summer Olympics.