AP World History Exam Prep

Answer: A - Soviet cosmonaut Valentina Terehkova became the first woman to enter space on June 16, 1963. She was only 26 at the time, 10 years younger than the youngest American astronaut of the time, Gordo Cooper. Though the Americans and Soviets battled in “the Space Race” throughout the '60s and '70s, ultimately splitting the “firsts in space” honors, the Soviets bested the Americans significantly when it came to women in the space program. The first American woman to enter space, Sally Ride, did not fly until 1983.