Irina Solovyova

Irina Bayanovna Solovyova (Russian: Ирина Баяновна Соловьева) (born 6 September 1937) is one of five women chosen in the female group, now a retired Soviet cosmonaut.[1][2] She never flew into space, but was chosen as the backup to Valentina Tereshkova, the first woman in space via Vostok 6 in June 1963. Solovyova was also chosen to fly on Voskhod 5, in which she would have become the first woman to walk in space (that honor went to Svetlana Savitskaya in 1984), but the Voskhod program was canceled after Voskhod 2 in favor of the Soyuz program.

Irina Solovyova
Born(1937-09-06)6 September 1937
NationalitySoviet Union (1937–1991)

Before being recruited as a cosmonaut, Solovyova was a world champion member of the Soviet national parachutists.[3]

She was awarded the Belarusian Order For Service to the Motherland in the Armed Forces, 3rd class.

Education

1959- Graduated from Sverdlovsk Polytechnic Institute with a degree in mechanical engineering

1967- Graduated from Zhukovsky Air Force Engineering Academy, Monino

1980- Candidate of psychological sciences degree

Training

Civilian Parachutist

Cosmonaut training

Female cosmonaut interview

In January 1962, DOSAAF (a Russian Volunteer Society for Cooperation with the Army, Aviation, and Navy ) sends a file of 58 female cosmonaut candidates, pilots and parachutists. Of which 40 are to be interviewed to undergo a training at TsPK(cosmonaut training center or Tsentr Podgotovki Kosmonavtov) which will prepare the team for the Flight: Vostok 6.

Nikolai Petrovich Kamanin reviews the plans with only 17 cosmonauts for the TsPK.

When Kamanin & his staff finally interviewed, there were 23 of the 58 female cosmonaut candidates. He was looking for young, physically fit and those undergone flight and parachute training for at least five to six months.

The pool of Soviet female pilots being limited, potential candidates were also sought who were active sport parachutists.

Female cosmonaut training group

A group was selected for the manned space program - Vostok 6 based on the following qualifications:

  • under 30 years of age
  • under 170 cm (5' 7") tall
  • under 70 kg (150 lb)

The five Soviet women selected were: Kuznetsova, Ponomaryova, Solovyova, Tereshkova, Yorkina on 16 February 1962 and reported for training a month later. However, the flight of a woman in space had little support from Chief Designer Korolev or Kamanin's military commanders.

Training

The five female cosmonaut group underwent the complete course of cosmonaut training including weightless flights, parachute jumps, isolation tests, centrifuge tests, and academic studies of rocket theory and spacecraft engineering. The women undertook 120 parachute jumps and received pilot training in MiG-15UTI jet trainers.

In May 1962 a Soviet delegation, including cosmonaut Gherman Titov and Kamanin, visited Washington. Meeting astronaut John Glenn, they learned of the Mercury 13, a privately funded program where 13 American females were selected by NASA for project Mercury. The female pilots had passed the astronaut physical and were lobbying to be trained as Mercury astronauts. Kamanin learned from Glenn that the first American woman would make a three-orbit Mercury flight by the end of 1962. Seeing the competition, Kamanin decided to move ahead with the first flight of a Soviet woman within weeks of his return.

At the initial stages of the training Kamanin places Solovyova in the first ranks as most likely to be first in space.

References
  1. "Solovyova". Archived from the original on 2010-12-29.
  2. "Cosmonaut Biography: Irina Soloviyova".
  3. Rex Hall and David Shayler (2001). The Rocket Men. Chichester, UK: Praxis Publishing Ltd. p. 197. ISBN 1-85233-391-X.
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