Loading...

So that mattered because in the Vostok program, Cosmonauts did not land inside the capsule. The way we often picture space landings today, like Artemis, right? You come down, you're in a capsule, the parachute released, and then you use safely plunge into an ocean waiting to be picked up. Well, the way this worked for these folks, after a re-entry, they ejected from the spacecraft and came down separately under a parachute as individuals. So her parachuting experience was not just a hobby. It ended up being part of what made her an interesting candidate for spaceflight in Russia to begin with. Because we're having this conversation on the air in the air, so like to say, her radio call sign was Chica, meaning seagull in Russia. So on this date, aboard Vostok, Cico, lifted off.