Press coverage of Vostok 6 flight in 1963

While researching a magazine article on Tereshkova and Vostok 6, I've
been studying comtemporary newpapers and thought some of my findings
might be of interest on this group.

When I began researching this subject several years ago, I gained the
impression that the flight of a woman cosmonaut on Vostok VI had
caught the rest of the world, and especially America by complete
surprise.
However, having studied contemporary press reports, it's clear that
this wasn't the case, and the Soviets had leaked information over the
previous six months or so, to prepare the world for what they were
planning.

On 13th January 1963, while attending celebrations to mark the
anniversary of the revolution in Cuba, cosmonaut Pavel Popovich
remarked, 'The world will soon know about the first female cosmonaut.'
And it seems this comment was widely reported.

A couple of months later on 21st March, UPI in Moscow mentioned in a
dispatch about Soviets space plans in general, ‘There have been
rumours in Moscow that a woman is being trained as a cosmonaut.'

In reports of the return to earth of American Mercury astronaut Gordon
Cooper, in May 1963, several US papers suggested that ‘the Soviets are
believed to be planning a new space spectacular, probably involving
the launching of a woman into space.'

By early June, speculation mounted further and on 12th, the New York
Times reported another UPI dispatch under the headline ‘Soviets
reported ready to put woman into space', and the following day, the
Washington Post added detail with ‘The Soviet Union was reported
tonight to be on the verge of launching into space the first woman
astronaut – said to be an attractive unmarried woman in her
20's……………..at least two and possibly three girls are believed to be
trained for a space trip. It was not clear whether two would be put up
together, as some reports have suggested.'

After the launch of Vostok V on 14th June, the speculation reaches
it's peak, and all the major news agencies and newspapers have their
own version of what would happen next.

Recording Bykovsky's launch, the Washington Post reports ‘Reliable
sources have confirmed that the 'cosmonette' – an attractive unmarried
pilot in her early twenties - is standing by, ready for launch.'

UPI's Geneva office were even more certain :- ‘The Soviet Union will
definitely send a young woman into space tomorrow, Communist sources
said tonight. Everyone in Moscow knows that the launching of a Soviet
woman into the Cosmos is imminent.'

Associated Press had more detail in their release :-
‘While the Soviet Union's fifth cosmonaut circled the earth Friday
night, unofficial Moscow sources said a woman would follow him into
space Saturday, or later. Both Soviet and sources from other Communist
countries said a girl named Ludmilla, 25, moderately pretty, was ready
to take off from a launching pad in central Siberia.
There was no official confirmation, but the reports said the Moscow
newspapers already had biographical sketches of Ludmilla ready for use
either Saturday or later in the course of Bykovsky's flight.'

The following day, the Washington Post recycled the story, adding
their own speculation on who the woman might be explaining that ‘… a
dozen names different were circulating in Moscow, ranging from
Ludmilla to Solovyeva……' Obviously, this is interesting, because
Solovyeva was very nearly correct, although her name did not reappear
until 25 years later.

The following day, Tereshkova was launched, and the real story could
be reported.

Tony, thanks for reprising the research and results that I published in 1981
in "Red Star in Orbit". Sorry you started with the wrong impression, instead
of the
correct one you would have gotten from that book.

Throughout 1962 and early 1963, public statements by touring cosmonauts
and private news leaks to Western jour*nalists alerted the world to the
coming flight: "We will pave the road into space together," cosmonaut
Popovich told one women s club in early 1963. The women of the world were
ready.



"Tonyq" wrote ..
While researching a magazine article on Tereshkova and Vostok 6, I've
been studying comtemporary newpapers and thought some of my findings
might be of interest on this group.

When I began researching this subject several years ago, I gained the
impression that the flight of a woman cosmonaut on Vostok VI had
caught the rest of the world, and especially America by complete
surprise.
However, having studied contemporary press reports, it's clear that
this wasn't the case, and the Soviets had leaked information over the
previous six months or so, to prepare the world for what they were
planning.

On Sun, 17 Apr 2005 11:46:51 GMT, "Jim Oberg" wrote:

Throughout 1962 and early 1963, public statements by touring cosmonauts
and private news leaks to Western jour*nalists alerted the world to the
coming flight: "We will pave the road into space together," cosmonaut
Popovich told one women s club in early 1963. The women of the world were
ready.

And still waiting...

Dale

On Sun, 17 Apr 2005 11:46:51 GMT, "Jim Oberg"
wrote:

Throughout 1962 and early 1963, public statements by touring cosmonauts
and private news leaks to Western jour*nalists alerted the world to the
coming flight: "We will pave the road into space together," cosmonaut
Popovich told one women s club in early 1963. The women of the world were
ready.

....Actually, the Soviets leaked a *lot* of their surprises with veiled
hints -and- outright "we're going to do this really, really soon"
statements. It's a classic test of how awake/unawake the news media
can be at times, and the results were very much the same as when
George Lucas admitted during a major convention lecture two years
before "Empire Strikes Back" that Darth Vader was really Luke's
father. He'd done that just to see how far the word would spread, and
not *one* *single* report was spread in the sci-fi print rags of the
time. In fact, nobody remembered it until after *the* scene in ESB
premiered, and those who were present at the lecture - especially the
one or two reporters - went 'Holy ****! He wasn't lying!'

Of course, if the journalists believed everything they heard, Geo
would be on the lecture circuit with the J-C Bros...

OM

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