Pioneering 'Firsts' for Women in Space

Valentina Tereshkova of the Soviet Union became the first woman in space on June 16, 1963, aboard Vostok 6. Mae Jemison became the first African American woman in space in 1992 aboard the Space Shuttle Endeavour. Peggy Whitson was the first woman to command the International Space Station.

The top 3

  1. Who Were the First Women in Space?: Valentina Tereshkova became the first woman in space on June 16, 1963, aboard the Soviet Vostok 6 mission. Two decades later, Sally Ride made history as the first American woman in space on June 18, 1983, with the Space Shuttle Challenger. Valentina Tereshkova
  2. Women's Spacewalk & Space Duration Records: Peggy Whitson holds the record for most spacewalks by a woman with 10. Sunita Williams surpassed Whitson's record for cumulative spacewalk time, logging 62 hours and 6 minutes as of January 2025. Christina Koch holds the record for longest continuous spaceflight by a woman at 328 days. Peggy Whitson
  3. First All-Female Spacewalk Crew: NASA astronauts Christina Koch and Jessica Meir made history on October 18, 2019, by conducting the first all-female spacewalk outside the International Space Station, replacing a faulty battery charge/discharge unit. Christina Koch

Sources

Open the full topic