The first woman in the world to go into outer space: the story of Svetlana Savitskaya
'09.05.2021'
Source: Heroine.ru
In the summer of 2019, the world's second female cosmonaut, Svetlana Savitskaya, gave an interview on the 35th anniversary of her spacewalk, in which she shared her opinion on why there are almost no women among Russian cosmonauts. Her outspoken statement about discrimination in the space industry has caused a lot of discussion in society.
Edition Heroine offers to learn more about who Svetlana Savitskaya is and how she earned her right to enter the history of world space.
She always had a reputation as a “marshal’s daughter”
Unlike Tereshkova, for whom the role of “a man from the people” (she came from a peasant family) was firmly entrenched, it was difficult for Svetlana Savitskaya to avoid the reputation of the hero’s privileged daughter. Her father is the famous aviation marshal Yevgeny Savitsky, who during the war personally shot down 22 enemy aircraft and carried out 216 sorties. Mom served in the same corps commanded by Savitsky, and after the war she worked as a school teacher.
Svetlana graduated from high school, while studying in a parachute group at DOSAAF. Then she entered the Moscow Aviation Institute, and at the same time she graduated from the Kaluga Aviation Flight Technical School.
The media often write that Savitskaya's father used original methods of upbringing, giving his daughter complete freedom to attend school. The cosmonaut herself believes that these rumors are exaggerated, and she graduated from school on a general basis, although her father really did not pay so much attention to her: “I read a lot of all kinds of nonsense about myself. In fact, my father was once asked about how he raised me, and he replied: “Nothing. Svetlana was brought up by the school, the Komsomol and DOSAAF. " And this is true. Although my father's example, his attitude to work and people, of course, gradually influenced and shaped my personality. "
This does not cancel her personal achievements.
And even though Svetlana Savitskaya really had access to influential people in flying circles and the authority of a respected father, she proved her right to be called one of the best in practice. In the 22 of the year she won the world championship in aerobatic sports in the UK. Set 3 world records in parachuting in group jumps from the stratosphere and 18 aviation records in jet aircraft.
On the subject: Inga Artamonova: the story of the absolute world champion killed by her husband in 29 years
At the age of 28, she began working as a test pilot and in three years set 4 women's records for altitude, speed and flight.
It is unlikely that a loud surname will help withstand overloads, risking life, making decisions with lightning speed and accurately performing a task in difficult conditions - outstanding personal and physical qualities are needed here.
She always dreamed about space, although she did not talk about it.
In an interview, Savitskaya says that she dreamed about space from her youth, inspired by the exploit of the youngest astronaut in the history of German Titov. But Svetlana Savitskaya didn’t have big illusions - after the flight Tereshkova it was believed that the woman had already traveled to space and this could be closed. Savitskaya decided to start becoming a pilot, but always be ready to use the opportunity to go into space. And she had such a chance - in 1980, she was sent to a detachment of astronaut pilots, and in 1982 she made her first flight as an astronaut-researcher. The next time, Savitskaya went into space as a flight engineer in 1984. Then she set her main record - the first of the women went into outer space, where, together with her colleagues, she tested a unique apparatus for manual soldering of metal.
According to Savitskaya, women were prepared for space in exactly the same way as men, she did not feel any indulgences: “I never felt a special attitude, even if it was, I would have stopped it. Probably, someone looked with skepticism ”.
On the subject: Tragedy on ice: a love story of one of the most beautiful skaters of the XX century
The fact that it is more difficult for women to prove that they can do something, the astronaut even now openly speaks in an interview. According to her, women have no right to make a mistake. Where a man will be forgiven for a mistake, because it happens to everyone, they will immediately attack the girl with the words: “Of course, she’s a woman.”
Preparing to become the commander of the world's first female space crew
Svetlana Savitskaya could also go down in history as the commander of the first female space crew. She was already preparing to fly on the Soyuz T-15С ship in the 1986 year. However, this initiative was first postponed, and then completely forgot about it.
The main rumor about Savitskaya is whether she had sex in space
One of the most mysterious stories in Savitskaya’s biography is the rumor that she participated in the first attempt in space exploration in the history of space exploration in zero gravity, and even was part of an experiment in conception in orbit. An employee of the French publication Le Figaro, Milen Bartot, referring to the scientific portal, said that in the same 1982, representatives of the USSR Space Agency admitted to conducting an attempt to conceive in space.
Which of the flight colleagues - Leonid Popov or Alexander Serebrov - was a partner of Savitskaya, the publication did not indicate. Later, this information was confirmed by the German astronaut Ulrich Walter, but again, no reliable sources were cited.
In an interview, Savitskaya herself always avoided this topic, so the myth of "first sex in space" has remained a myth.
