Page 171 - How It Works - Book Of Amazing Answers To Curious Questions, Volume 05-15

History

Lift-off Shield removal
The payload fairing is then
split into two and discarded
How Vostok 6 was to expose the Vostok
launched into space capsule within. Final stage separation
When the final stage is

travelling fast enough to deliver
the capsule into orbit, it is shut
down and separated.
In orbit
The Vostok 6 capsule goes
on to complete 48 orbits of Core stage
the Earth, reaching a detachment
maximum altitude of 231km Once its fuel supply is
(144mi). exhausted, the core stage
of the rocket detaches
and falls back to Earth.

Booster separation
Several minutes after
launch, the four rocket Launch site
boosters run out of fuel and On 16 June 1963, Vostok 6 launches
are detached, falling back from the Baikonur Cosmodrome
to Earth. in Kazakhstan at 9:29:52 UTC.

Back Leaving orbit
After almost three days in
to Earth space, the Earth-return

rocket is fired to drop Vostok
6 back out of orbit.
Tereshkova’s
daring descent
Instrument
detachment
Just before re-
entering Earth’s
atmosphere, the
capsule’s instrument
section and return
rocket are detached.

Re-entry
The capsule hurtles
through Earth’s
Ejection atmospheres at a
After re-entry, the capsule speed of 27,000km/h
hatch is opened and (16,780mph).
Tereshkova is ejected. She
then opens her parachute
to descend to Earth.

Safe landing
After separating from her
ejection seat, Tereshkova
lands just 400m (1,310ft) from
the Vostok 6 capsule.
Capsule returns
The capsule’s own
parachute is deployed
and it lands just
outside of Karaganda
in Kazakhstan at 8:20
UTC on 19 June 1963.

Tereshkova’s call
sign for the mission
was ‘Chaika’, Russian
for ‘seagull’. She had © Thinkstock; Alamy
one embroidered on
her spacesuit

How It Works 171