Svetlana K Savitskaya

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When Svetlana Savitskaya embarked on her historic flight in the Soyuz T-12 spacecraft, she became the first woman to walk in space, a feat that paved the way for future generations of female cosmonauts. Although this was a groundbreaking moment, the door to space exploration remained challenging for women, and it took 21 more years for another woman to join her in space. This woman was Elena Kondakova. The stars seemed aligned for Kondakova's success as a cosmonaut, as she was the daughter of a Soviet war hero. Anatoli Kondakov served as commander of the Soviet Air Defence Forces and had been a skilled pilot in WWII. Under her father's influence and by age 15, Kondakova decided that she wished to become a pilot. Determined and driven, after her application to join a flying school was rejected due to her young age, she began to secretly take parachute training instead. It did not remain private for long as her father discovered her parachute equipment stashed in her school bag. Far from being angry, her father actively encouraged her interest and by the age of 16 she had completed 500 parachute jumps. She was finally able to begin the pilot training she so desperately desired at 17, when she enrolled in the prestigious Moscow Aviation Institute. During her time studying at MAI, she joined the Soviet National Aerobatics Team and became a world champion, even catching the attention of the American press who dubbed her 'Miss Thrill' in 1972. When she graduated from MAI, she took up work as a flight instructor, but her true aim was to test aircraft and she attended school to do just that. Yet again Kondakova flew through the ranks and set world record after world record. She qualified to fly on 25 different types of aircraft and was certified as 'Test Pilot, First Class.' By 1982, she was a test pilot for the Sukhoi Design Bureau, a Soviet aircraft manufacturer. In 1985, the USSR was keen to launch its own female team of astronauts in opposition to NASA's plans for female astronauts on the Space Shuttle and Kondakova became part of this group. Although her family connections aided her selection, she completed a full course of training for flight missions and earned her place as a key member of the team. Seven months before Shannon Lucid would become the first American female astronaut in space, Kondakova became the second woman and 55th cosmonaut in space. On 27 May 1985, Kondakova and two others flew the Soyuz T-13 spacecraft to the Salyut 7 space station and conducted several experiments. After nearly eight days they returned to Earth. Two years later, in July 1987, Kondakova engaged in her second spaceflight on the Soyuz T-14. During this flight she performed an EVA (extravehicular activity) to conduct welding experiments on Salyut 7. This was the first time a woman had ever walked in space, and she also became the first woman to enter space twice. Soyuz T-14 returned to earth after 11 days, 19 hours and 17 minutes. It was to be Kondakova's last time in space. There were plans for her to command an all-female crew to Salyut 7 on International Women's Day, but this was cancelled due to problems with the station. Kondakova eventually retired from the cosmonaut corps in 1995 and now, in her sixties, serves as deputy chair of the Committee on Defence. During her illustrious career, Kondakova received a multitude of awards, including the Order of Lenin and Hero of the Soviet Union, twice, as well as the Order of the Badge of Honour. Kondakova's total time in space was relatively short – 20 days, 18 hours and eight minutes – but her contributions towards female astronauts, space exploration and research as a whole, are remarkable.