Tereshkova myth exposed

[tonyq@another.com]

For 40 years, it has been recorded that Valentina Tereshkova was
selected as a cosmonaut in response to a letter she wrote to the Soviet
authorities, after the flight of Gherman Titov, in August 1961.

I've now located an interesting entry in the diary of Nikolai Kamanin,
which has been available for years, but has had limited exposure.

While writing about the publication of Tereshkova's book 'Universe -
Open Ocean' in March 1964, Kamanin wrote :-

'21st March 1964

'.... in the book Valya long dreams about space (the letter,
conversations, thoughts, doubts) are described, but in real life all
was different. Before meeting with the representative from Moscow (at
the aeroclub) and conversations with him, Valya had no idea about
flight into space.

In the book the instructor of Yaroslavl aeroclub Morozychev long before
Tereshkova arrived in TSPK, names her " Gagarin in a skirt ". This
appropriate nickname I gave to her when already
in the Center 2-3 months prior to her flight.......... But taking into
account, that the book actually is ready for press and she wishes to
release it by third anniversary of flight of Gagarin, we have decided
to not bring into the text the essential changes.....'

So, it's appears that Tereshkova got a bit carried away while writing
the book, and the myth about her letter grew from this. Kamanin knew it
was untrue, but the book was published anyway, just to meet a deadline
!

Forty years on, most biographies mention Tereshkova's letter, but it
now seems it never existed.

[Jim Oberg]

Nice item -- may I share it on another Russian space interest group?

It would be useful to attach your real name and email to that version,
so contact me at joberg at houston dot rr dot com, please.


> wrote in message
ups.com...
> For 40 years, it has been recorded that Valentina Tereshkova was
> selected as a cosmonaut in response to a letter she wrote to the Soviet
> authorities, after the flight of Gherman Titov, in August 1961.
>
> I've now located an interesting entry in the diary of Nikolai Kamanin,
> which has been available for years, but has had limited exposure.
>
> While writing about the publication of Tereshkova's book 'Universe -
> Open Ocean' in March 1964, Kamanin wrote :-
>
> '21st March 1964
>
> '.... in the book Valya long dreams about space (the letter,
> conversations, thoughts, doubts) are described, but in real life all
> was different. Before meeting with the representative from Moscow (at
> the aeroclub) and conversations with him, Valya had no idea about
> flight into space.
>
> In the book the instructor of Yaroslavl aeroclub Morozychev long before
> Tereshkova arrived in TSPK, names her " Gagarin in a skirt ". This
> appropriate nickname I gave to her when already
> in the Center 2-3 months prior to her flight.......... But taking into
> account, that the book actually is ready for press and she wishes to
> release it by third anniversary of flight of Gagarin, we have decided
> to not bring into the text the essential changes.....'
>
> So, it's appears that Tereshkova got a bit carried away while writing
> the book, and the myth about her letter grew from this. Kamanin knew it
> was untrue, but the book was published anyway, just to meet a deadline
> !
>
> Forty years on, most biographies mention Tereshkova's letter, but it
> now seems it never existed.
>

[tonyq@another.com]

Jim

Feel free to republish this information anywhere you feel appropriate.

I've also mailed you direct regarding further Tereshkova related
material which I've unearthed, which you may wish me to share with you.
TonyQ

[eastronautica@hotmail.com]

Actually, I think one of the neatest stories in Kamanin in this
connection was how, although the Mercury 13 American female astronaut
candidates never flew, their existence seems to have provided Kamanin
with the ammunition he needed to get Tereshkova's flight approved.
Kamanin attended a barbecue at John Glenn's house on 4 May 1962. There,
he understood Glenn to say that "...several Amerrican women are
considered fit for spaceflight, and the first American woman could make
a three-orbit flight in the second half of 1962". This never happened,
but the threat of the Ameicans being seems to have been a key factor in
getting Tereshkova's flight approved by the leadership....


http://www.astronautix.com/articles/kams1962.htm

http://www.astronautix.com/astrogrp/mer31961.htm
Mark Wade
http://www.astronautix.com/

[tonyq@another.com]

Jim

Feel free to repost this anywhere you feel it will be of interest.

I have e-mailed you direct too, as I have more Tereshkova related
material which may be of interest.

TonyQ

[Henry Spencer]

In article . com>,
> wrote:
>Actually, I think one of the neatest stories in Kamanin in this
>connection was how, although the Mercury 13 American female astronaut
>candidates never flew...

Small quibble: there were no American female astronaut candidates then.
The "Mercury 13" were never candidates, in anyone's eyes except their own
and those of a few over-enthusiastic organizers.

(Said organizers hoped that if the women scored well in tests, NASA might
consider them... ignoring the fact that they did not meet the most basic
requirement, a requirement ratified by the president himself: they were
not active-duty military test pilots. Neil Armstrong wasn't eligible to
be a Mercury astronaut, never mind the "Mercury 13".)

But yes, it is interesting that this recently-overhyped group of obvious
non-candidates spurred the Soviets into action...
--
"Think outside the box -- the box isn't our friend." | Henry Spencer
-- George Herbert |

[tonyq@another.com]

Jim, you are welcome to republish this anywhere you feel it will be of
interest.

I have mailed you direct as requested, regarding some other Tereshkova
related material which I have recently unearthed.

TonyQ

[tonyq@another.com]

Jim, you are welcome to republish this anywhere you feel it will be of
interest.

I have mailed you direct as requested, regarding some other Tereshkova
related material which I have recently unearthed.

TonyQ

[tonyq@another.com]

I was just about to post exactly the same reference, in response to
Henry's note !

It certainly appears that Kamanin thought the threat of an American
woman in space was real.

In March 1962, when only three of the women cosmonauts had actually
reported for training, he told them they had five months to get ready
for a spaceflight, which was tentatively scheduled for late August
1962.

Although this proved to be over optimistic, by late August, in the wake
of Vostoks 3 & 4, Kamanin was still trying to generate support for a
solo flight by a female cosmonaut in October 1962, even though it must
have been obvious that the American threat had evaporated. As the women
did not actually finish their training until November, it suggests
Kamanin was have been prepared to risk flying one of them before
training was fully complete.

Kamanin then moved on to promoting the idea of a dual female flight in
Spring 1963, citing the similarity to Vostoks 3 & 4 as the basis for
favouring this flight plan over other options, but that's another
story......

TonyQ

[OM]

On 14 Dec 2004 23:50:15 -0800, wrote:

>I've also mailed you direct regarding further Tereshkova related
>material which I've unearthed, which you may wish me to share with you.

....Pat and I have been wondering if you have copies of that birthday
party for Nikita Sergeivitch where Val popped out of a big birthday
cake wearing nothing but a sash made from a Soviet Red Army flag?

OM

--

"No ******* ever won a war by dying for | http://www.io.com/~o_m
his country. He won it by making the other | Sergeant-At-Arms
poor dumb ******* die for his country." | Human O-Ring Society

- General George S. Patton, Jr

[tonyq@another.com]

What a horrible thought !!

No, it's nothing that exciting - just that I got hold of her 1964
memoires, and have translated sections of it. Very interesting 'first
person' account of her preparations and flight, revealing insights,
which did not come out in the general propaganda of the time.

I don't want to post these here, as I might try and use extracts as the
basis of a magazine article in future.

TonyQ

[OM]

On 16 Dec 2004 09:15:29 -0800, wrote:

>I don't want to post these here, as I might try and use extracts as the
>basis of a magazine article in future.

....Oh give us a ****ing break here, pal. That sort of "I've got a
secret and I won't tell, nyah!" crap is more befitting a troll. Either
put up or shut up.

OM

--

"No ******* ever won a war by dying for | http://www.io.com/~o_m
his country. He won it by making the other | Sergeant-At-Arms
poor dumb ******* die for his country." | Human O-Ring Society

- General George S. Patton, Jr

[Rhonda Lea Kirk]

OM wrote:
> On 16 Dec 2004 09:15:29 -0800,
> wrote:
>
>> I don't want to post these here, as I might try and
>> use
>> extracts as the basis of a magazine article in
>> future.
>
> ...Oh give us a ****ing break here, pal. That sort of
> "I've got a secret and I won't tell, nyah!" crap is
> more
> befitting a troll. Either put up or shut up.

Nice try, Bob. Maybe your next move should be to hunt
him down and stick matches under his fingernails. "Ve
haf vays..." and all that.

rl
--
"The world is filled with evil, and there are two ways
to react. The first way is easy, and wrong. To accept
it. The second way is harder, but right. You fight it,
and help others who fight to endure." Sheherazade

[Pat Flannery]

Rhonda Lea Kirk wrote:

>Nice try, Bob. Maybe your next move should be to hunt
>him down and stick matches under his fingernails. "Ve
>haf vays..." and all that.
>

Maybe we should turn Scott Lowther's doctor loose on him; about the time
the statement "And this little piggy got split in half and ripped clean
out...." is heard, he'll become the most communicative individual on
female cosmonauts you've ever seen. :-)

Pat

[OM]

On Thu, 16 Dec 2004 22:51:01 -0600, Pat Flannery >
wrote:

>Maybe we should turn Scott Lowther's doctor loose on him; about the time
>the statement "And this little piggy got split in half and ripped clean
>out...." is heard, he'll become the most communicative individual on
>female cosmonauts you've ever seen. :-)

....Actually, the one I've always thought was a totally shaggable
Cosmobabe was Yelena Vladimirovna Kondakova, whose bio can be found at
[insert drum roll, please]:

http://www.astronautix.com/astros/konakova.htm

....On our side of the Big Fence, of course, is Kay Hire, who may be
the one Woman in Space who doesn't appear to *need* makeup from what I
can gather:

http://www.astronautix.com/astros/hire.htm

....And coming in a close third behind these two for the title of the
Real Ms Universe is Millie Hughes-Fulford, whose short hairstyle
simply means that nibbling on her neck does not result in "Ptoo!"
afterwards:

http://www.astronautix.com/astros/huglford.htm

....And yet another worth noting was Mae Carol Jemison, who ISTR also
managed to get on an episode of TNG:

http://www.astronautix.com/astros/jemison.htm


OM

--

"No ******* ever won a war by dying for | http://www.io.com/~o_m
his country. He won it by making the other | Sergeant-At-Arms
poor dumb ******* die for his country." | Human O-Ring Society

- General George S. Patton, Jr

[OM]

On Thu, 16 Dec 2004 20:16:04 -0500, "Rhonda Lea Kirk"
> wrote:

>Nice try, Bob. Maybe your next move should be to hunt
>him down and stick matches under his fingernails. "Ve
>haf vays..." and all that.

....Nah, I would simply force him to mate with LaDouchebagge repeatedly
until he capitulated and spilled the beans :-) :-)

OM

--

"No ******* ever won a war by dying for | http://www.io.com/~o_m
his country. He won it by making the other | Sergeant-At-Arms
poor dumb ******* die for his country." | Human O-Ring Society

- General George S. Patton, Jr

[tonyq@another.com]

I have to say, that I've really no idea who you are, or what your
agenda is, but I've seen the style of your postings before and ask
myself why I should share anything with such an ignorant, arrogant
****.

The material I have uncovered will not re-write history, but will be of
interest to genuine watchers of the early Soviet programme. To anyone
who is really interested in Tereshkova, it is ground-breaking.

Despite my last posting, I was considering putting it on the web to
judge interest, but you've ****ed that up now. I'll continue to
circulate on a selective basis.

I've already shared it with a dozen or so people who are authorities on
the Soviet programme of this era, and it has been received as an
important document, which throws much light on this era . One day in
the future, I might get it into print, or I might put it in the web
tomorrow - that's my call.

What is clear, is that I have something special ! You want it, and
because of your juvenile and offensive style, I promise you and your
sad, sycophantic cronies will never get to see it.

You can write any **** you want in response, but...............you've
played your hand badly here........
..........and lost.

[womeninspace2001@yahoo.com]

This is all very much a matter of personal taste, but Tatiana
Kuznetsova, from the Tereshkova selection gets my vote.

She was only just out of her teens when the Soviets picked her in 1962
- a cosmobabe in more ways than one !

The is a biog for her. You need to follow the links.
http://membres.lycos.fr/kvant/

J.

[Scott Hedrick]

> wrote in message
oups.com...
> I have to say, that I've really no idea who you are, or what your
> agenda is, but I've seen the style of your postings before and ask
> myself why I should share anything with such an ignorant, arrogant
> ****.
>
> because of your juvenile and offensive style, I promise you and your
> sad, sycophantic cronies will never get to see it.
>
> You can write any **** you want in response, but...............you've
> played your hand badly here........
> .........and lost.

yeah, all of LaToya's and Stuffie's supporters are in email. Killfile her
and make the world a better place.

[OM]

On 17 Dec 2004 15:50:54 -0800, wrote:

>I have to say, that I've really no idea who you are, or what your
>agenda is, but I've seen the style of your postings before and ask
>myself why I should share anything with such an ignorant, arrogant
>****.

....Guys, I've got a suspicion that Tony just might be a distant
relative of mine, because that's the exact tone I'd take with LaToilet
had I not promised to just killfile the ignorant crack whore and
advise others to do the same.

You have my respect, sir. Still wish you'd put up the info rather than
shut up, just so -we- don't get punished for LaEnemabandit's
psychosis, of which we are not responsible by one iota...

OM

--

"No ******* ever won a war by dying for | http://www.io.com/~o_m
his country. He won it by making the other | Sergeant-At-Arms
poor dumb ******* die for his country." | Human O-Ring Society

- General George S. Patton, Jr

[OM]

On 17 Dec 2004 16:22:04 -0800, wrote:

>The is a biog for her. You need to follow the links.
>http://membres.lycos.fr/kvant/

....How about just the link to her picture? The ****ing site pops up
203 goddamn spam windows, each of which tries to load spyware and
other crap.


OM

--

"No ******* ever won a war by dying for | http://www.io.com/~o_m
his country. He won it by making the other | Sergeant-At-Arms
poor dumb ******* die for his country." | Human O-Ring Society

- General George S. Patton, Jr

[womeninspace2001@yahoo.com]

Sorry you had problems with that site, as it has a photo not seen
elsewhere in which she looks particularly good.

Try this as an alternative :-
http://www.astronaut.ru/as_rusia/lady62/lady_0.htm

[Pat Flannery]

OM wrote:

>...How about just the link to her picture? The ****ing site pops up
>203 goddamn spam windows, each of which tries to load spyware and
>other crap.
>
>

Yet another French plot... :-)

Pat

[Pat Flannery]

wrote:

>Sorry you had problems with that site, as it has a photo not seen
>elsewhere in which she looks particularly good.
>
>Try this as an alternative :-
>http://www.astronaut.ru/as_rusia/lady62/lady_0.htm
>

Hmmm...well, if I could read Russian....
If you go to the French site, and right click on the image, one of the
options that will come up is "Copy Image Location"; you can then paste
its URL in a posting and save all the rigmarole of having to go to the
website.
Here is an example:
http://www.whitehouse.org/initiatives/posters/images/lookit-poppy.jpg

Pat

[womeninspace2001@yahoo.com]

Pat - thanks for that tip.

Try these URL's


http://www.astronaut.ru/as_rusia/lady62/foto/kusnezova_s.htm

http://membres.lycos.fr/kvant/biographies/kouznietsova/kouznietsova-4.jpg

[Pat Flannery]

wrote:

>Pat - thanks for that tip.
>
>Try these URL's
>
>
>http://www.astronaut.ru/as_rusia/lady62/foto/kusnezova_s.htm
>
>http://membres.lycos.fr/kvant/biographies/kouznietsova/kouznietsova-4.jpg
>

I'll still take Anita Ekberg as cosmonaut Anna Soblova in 'Way...Way Out."
You aren't going to believe what I just found on the web:
http://members.aol.com/munday6877/femalespacesuit.htm

Pat