Valentina Tereshkova

“I am very resourceful, as any woman would be.”

“One cannot deny the great role women have played in the world community. My flight was yet another impetus to continue this female contribution.”

“I see Vostok-6 quite often in the centre for cosmonaut training. And every time I pass it by, I stroke it and say, 'My lovely one, my best and most beautiful friend, my best and most beautiful man.'”

“I am deeply grieved by the loss of the crew of Columbia. I express my sincere condolences to the families and friends of the astronauts. I believe that their names will remain as the bright sparkling stars in the universe and will light the way for those who will follow them on the difficult roads of space exploration.”

“I would not say that female cosmonauts are not welcomed in the Russian space program. I must say, however, that all spaceflight hardware, including spacesuits and spacecraft comfort assuring systems, were designed mostly by men and for men.”

“I would enjoy flying to Mars. This was the dream of the first cosmonauts. I wish I could realize it! I am ready to fly without coming back.”

“A bird cannot fly with one wing only. Human space flight cannot develop any further without the active participation of women.”

“I love Star City - it is my home.”

“Anyone who has spent any time in space will love it for the rest of their lives. I achieved my childhood dream of the sky.”

“More women should actively participate in space flight. There are many well educated women working in the space industry; they are very good candidates.”

“On Earth, men and women are taking the same risks. Why shouldn't we be taking the same risks in space?”

“You don't think about the danger. The spaceship becomes your home.”

“After being once in space, I was keen to go back there. But it didn't happen.”

“The missing toothbrush was nothing compared with the fact that the spacecraft was orientated to ascend, not descend. I would have gone up and up instead of going back down to the ground.”

“Once you've been in space, you appreciate how small and fragile the Earth is.”

“It was very difficult to control the descent. At a height of seven kilometres, I catapulted out of my capsule and parachuted down to Earth. I was very familiar with parachutes because I was a sky diver before.”

“Cosmonauts can keep their word like men and women - particularly women.”

“I am convinced that the modular structure of the Mir will be the main trend in manned orbital stations development in the next century.”

“I think Star City should have Unesco World Heritage status. It will need to be adapted a little bit and made more glamorous than it looks now, but it should definitely be protected for the future.”

“The ideals of the party were close to me, and I have tried to adhere to those principles all my life. In essence, they are the same as in the Ten Commandments in the Bible. I will never change my convictions.”