posted 04-17-2005 03:33 AM
I have managed to track down a lot of contemporary press coverage, and thought I'd share my findings. When I began researching this subject several years ago, I quickly gained the impression that the flight of a woman cosmonaut on Vostok 6 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 13 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 21 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 5 on 14 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.
posted 03-26-2005 01:17 AM
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