Latest news with #ValentinaTereshkova
New Indian Express
13-05-2025
- General
- New Indian Express
50 years of Kerala-Russia bonding
Some years ago, a chapter in a school textbook was about young Ivana who strayed from home into a nearby village. When asked who her mother was, she said her mother is the most beautiful woman in the world. A search began, but the one who came calling for the kid was far from her description. Beauty thus is deeply linked to love, the story conveyed. The story and many like it came to readers in Kerala from what was once the Soviet Union, transporting them to idyllic Russian settings. They were loved, in a pure reflection of the fascination the average, book-lover Malayali had for that country. This could be a reason why the Russian House, originally set up as Gorky Bhavan in Thiruvananthapuram 50 years ago, found a spot in the hearts of Malayalis. It became a landmark, where thinkers and writers congregated. Through it, Russia struck deep chords in the minds of Malayalis, its friendship warmed hearts, and its space voyages made the likes of Valentina Tereshkova and Yuri Gagarin household names. Ambika B was one such who did her post graduation in Russian in 1973, inspired by her love for Russia. 'I was very fascinated. I got to know of Russia through the several books published by the Mir Publications. It was heavily subsidised too then. Kerala looked up then to Russia as the home of an ideology it revered,' the 75-year-old says. Years passed, and in the 1990s, Soviet Union disintegrated and Russia emerged. Gorky Bhavan, named after Maxim Gorky, was shut down. It opened later after 10 years, as the Russian Cultural Centre. Popularly called the Russian House, it offered activities that facilitated an exchange of culture and talents.
The Hindu
05-05-2025
- Science
- The Hindu
On Space Firsts
Daily Quiz | On Space Firsts Copy link Email Facebook Twitter Telegram LinkedIn WhatsApp Reddit YOUR SCORE 0 /7 RETAKE THE QUIZ 1 / 7 | Who was the first woman in space in 1963? DID YOU KNOW THE ANSWER? YES NO Answer : Valentina Tereshkova SHOW ANSWER 2 / 7 | What first was achieved on November 3, 1957? DID YOU KNOW THE ANSWER? YES NO Answer : The dog Laika, the first living creature, was launched into space by USSR SHOW ANSWER 3 / 7 | What was the popular name of the Orbiting Astronomical Observatory 2 (OAO-2), which in 1968 became the first space telescope? DID YOU KNOW THE ANSWER? YES NO Answer : Stargazer SHOW ANSWER 4 / 7 | On August 25, 2012, which spacecraft travelled beyond the 'heliosphere' and became the first to reach interstellar space? DID YOU KNOW THE ANSWER? YES NO Answer : Voyager 1 SHOW ANSWER 5 / 7 | What pioneering feat did South Africa's Dennis Tito achieve when he went to space on a Soyuz TM-32 mission in 2001? DID YOU KNOW THE ANSWER? YES NO Answer : He became the first 'Space tourist' SHOW ANSWER 6 / 7 | Which moonwalker has the distinction of being in the first Space Shuttle mission in 1981? DID YOU KNOW THE ANSWER? YES NO Answer : John Young SHOW ANSWER
Bloomberg
16-04-2025
- Science
- Bloomberg
Women Went to Space, But Men Still Want to Own It
This week, rocket company Blue Origin sent six women to the edge of space, the first time an all-female crew made the trip since Soviet cosmonaut Valentina Tereshkova completed a three-day solo mission more than six decades ago. The flight included a pop star, a TV journalist, an aerospace engineer, a film producer, and a bioastronautics research scientist-turned-activist. Also on board was Lauren Sanchez, a businesswoman, journalist, author, philanthropist and the fiancée of Jeff Bezos, the world's second-richest person and founder of Blue Origin. The roster had 'the energy of an American Girl doll collection,' as the New York Times ' Amanda Hess put it.
Yahoo
14-04-2025
- Science
- Yahoo
What is the Kármán line that Blue Origin's newest astronauts crossed?
(NEXSTAR) – Blue Origin successfully launched six women over the Kármán line on Monday morning, marking the first all-female spaceflight since Soviet-era cosmonaut Valentina Tereshkova flew into space on a solo mission in 1963. The astronauts — recording artist Katy Perry, journalists Gayle King and Lauren Sánchez, former NASA scientist Aisha Bowe, civil rights activist Amanda Nguyen and movie producer Kerianne Flynn — experienced several minutes of weightlessness during the trip, which touched down about 11 minutes after launch from West Texas. Blue Origin's New Shepard rocket propelled the women almost 66 miles into the atmosphere, according to Blue Origin. That means they soared well over the Kármán line, a boundary located 100 kilometers (about 62 miles) above the Earth. What to know about the all-female Blue Origin space launch The Kármán line is recognized as the boundary between Earth's atmosphere and space by the Fédération Aéronautique Internationale, a Swiss-based governing body and record-keeping organization. For years, Blue Origin has also maintained that the Kármán Line is the threshold that separates Earth's atmosphere from space. In 2021, Blue Origin made this opinion known when Virgin Group founder Richard Branson successfully rocketed to an altitude of approximately 282,000 feet, or over 53 miles, on a Virgin Galactic space plane called the VSS Unity. At the time, Blue Origin further suggested that Branson and his fellow astronauts would need 'asterisks' next to their names. 'From the beginning, New Shepard was designed to fly above the Kármán line so none of our astronauts have an asterisk next to their name,' the company wrote on X (then Twitter). 'For 96% of the world's population, space begins 100 km up at the internationally recognized Kármán line.' The boundary between Earth and 'space,' meanwhile, is not clearly defined. Astrophysicist Jonathan McDowell has proposed the boundary should be lower, at around 80 kilometers up, arguing that satellites can survive certain elliptical orbits that dip to this height. But NASA heliophysicist Doug Rowland said it's tough to demarcate where 'space' begins, because Earth's atmosphere doesn't necessarily stop at any single point, but instead 'just gets less and less dense the higher you go.' The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) further pointed out that a spacecraft would have to travel 600 miles above Earth to escape the planet's atmosphere completely — meaning that the International Space Station (orbiting between 205 and 270 miles up) wouldn't even be considered as being in proper 'space,' either. 'When you go to where the Space Station is — only a couple hundred miles above the Earth — there's still enough air there to slow the Space Station down. And if you didn't re-boost it with rockets, it would come back to Earth based on the air drag,' Rowland said. Commercial space companies are ready for the next stage of lunar exploration Terminology aside, Blue Origin and its newest astronauts certainly consider their trip to space (however it's defined) a success. 'I will never be the same,' crew member and aerospace engineer Aisha Bowe said after landing. 'I never really thought I could go to space — although I really wanted to go — and today just confirmed that dreams are real,' she added. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
The Hill
14-04-2025
- Science
- The Hill
What is the Kármán line that Blue Origin's newest astronauts crossed?
(NEXSTAR) – Blue Origin successfully launched six women over the Kármán line on Monday morning, marking the first all-female spaceflight since Soviet-era cosmonaut Valentina Tereshkova flew into space on a solo mission in 1963. The astronauts — recording artist Katy Perry, journalists Gayle King and Lauren Sánchez, former NASA scientist Aisha Bowe, civil rights activist Amanda Nguyen and movie producer Kerianne Flynn — experienced several minutes of weightlessness during the trip, which touched down about 11 minutes after launch from West Texas. How far up did they travel? Blue Origin's New Shepard rocket propelled the women almost 66 miles into the atmosphere, according to Blue Origin. That means they soared well over the Kármán line, a boundary located 100 kilometers (about 62 miles) above the Earth. The Kármán line is recognized as the boundary between Earth's atmosphere and space by the Fédération Aéronautique Internationale, a Swiss-based governing body and record-keeping organization. For years, Blue Origin has also maintained that the Kármán Line is the threshold that separates Earth's atmosphere from space. In 2021, Blue Origin made this opinion known when Virgin Group founder Richard Branson successfully rocketed to an altitude of approximately 282,000 feet, or over 53 miles, on a Virgin Galactic space plane called the VSS Unity. At the time, Blue Origin further suggested that Branson and his fellow astronauts would need 'asterisks' next to their names. 'From the beginning, New Shepard was designed to fly above the Kármán line so none of our astronauts have an asterisk next to their name,' the company wrote on X (then Twitter). 'For 96% of the world's population, space begins 100 km up at the internationally recognized Kármán line.' Where does space actually begin? The boundary between Earth and 'space,' meanwhile, is not clearly defined. Astrophysicist Jonathan McDowell has proposed the boundary should be lower, at around 80 kilometers up, arguing that satellites can survive certain elliptical orbits that dip to this height. But NASA heliophysicist Doug Rowland said it's tough to demarcate where 'space' begins, because Earth's atmosphere doesn't necessarily stop at any single point, but instead 'just gets less and less dense the higher you go.' The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) further pointed out that a spacecraft would have to travel 600 miles above Earth to escape the planet's atmosphere completely — meaning that the International Space Station (orbiting between 205 and 270 miles up) wouldn't even be considered as being in proper 'space,' either. 'When you go to where the Space Station is — only a couple hundred miles above the Earth — there's still enough air there to slow the Space Station down. And if you didn't re-boost it with rockets, it would come back to Earth based on the air drag,' Rowland said. 'Never be the same' Terminology aside, Blue Origin and its newest astronauts certainly consider their trip to space (however it's defined) a success. 'I will never be the same,' crew member and aerospace engineer Aisha Bowe said after landing. 'I never really thought I could go to space — although I really wanted to go — and today just confirmed that dreams are real,' she added.
