It's Valentina Tereshkova's birthday today. She is the world's first female cosmonaut and the only woman who made the space expedition alone The Hero of the Soviet Union and the State Duma deputy turned 80 years old. Valentina Vladimirovna was congratulated by the President. The gifts from the head of state echoed her legendary call sign, Chaika (Seagull).

Putin called Tereshkova an example and a symbol of devotion to the Motherland. Dmitry Kaestro reports on the jubilant day and the heroic woman. The first woman in the world to travel into space was congratulated by Vladimir Putin in the Kremlin. Let me congratulate you sincerely and heartily on your birthday. Thank you, I am touched. Thank you very much. Thank you for your service to the Motherland, from your legendary trip to space, for us, you've always been an example and a symbol of devotion to the Motherland... -Thank you! in different spheres and positions. Your strength is in your cordial attitude towards the Motherland. President Putin gave the world space exploration legend, who used the call sign 'Chaika', a sculpture and a painting both depicting the strong, white bird tireless in the sky and motion.

Even on her birthday Valentina Tereshkova used the opportunity to discuss work issues with the President, and to tell about her native Yaroslavl Region and its new head, interim Governor Dmitri Mironov. Thank you very much for Yaroslavia. For sending us a person who holds meetings, visits cities, and meets not only with workers at enterprises, but also the regular citizens. So, the beginning is good. And we try to help in every possible way. He will need your support. I know that he really does and tries his best. But still, much should be done for people to believe in him and support him.

The President thanked Tereshkova for her work in the State Duma, noting that the presence of the world cosmonautics legend enhances the confidence in the supreme legislative body of the country. There the exhibition "Chaika. The First Flight" opened, in honor of Valentina Tereshkova who was welcomed with plaudits by the lawmakers. Happy Birthday! Happy Birthday! The 400 kilogram catapult chair, the space suit, a copy of the log-book, these objects traveled to space along with the first woman-cosmonaut. Valentina Tereshkova used the photos to describe the preparation and the flight to her colleagues. -And this is our... -The very chair. Yes, it's our chair. But actually, after 7 km it was mine. The record of the first female cosmonaut Valentina Tereshkova was never beaten. If you look at photos, these are the photographs of our country's space exploration history. But they are all connected with one person, our charming and remarkable Valentina Vladimirovna Tereshkova.

The exhibition in the Duma was turned into honoring Valentina Tereshkova. Faction leaders, deputies, and, seemingly, literally everybody who was in the Okhotny Ryad building at that time expressed their admiration and gratitude to Valentina Vladimirovna for her feat once again. We were holding our breath for this event, your birthday, because you are a legend, the person who stepped into space and since then you've represented space as a place to where women can travel, too. When the space age was confirmed by Yuri Gagarin and Valentina Tereshkova no one doubted that our science, our technology, our men and women are really number one. Her immortal flight is remembered by the whole country today. Good luck, Valyusha, good luck! Let's go, my dear! Let's go! Video greetings come from the Vostochny cosmodrome. Greetings from the Vostochny! And from the International Space Station. Valentina Vladimirovna, Chaika, Happy Birthday!

These days, thousands of greeting cards expressing gratitude and best wishes to Valentina Tereshkova come to the State Duma. Her immortal flight is remembered by the whole country today. All the Soviet Union citizens rejoiced. All of them, from Tashkent to Tallinn and from Chisinau to Kamchatka. It was genuine joy.

The first artificial satellite, the first man in space, the first woman in space the first space walk — this was all done by our country. She spoke about the flight and the people who made it possible and about emotions she experienced at that time. And then she confessed that the memories came back to her, bright and exciting, as if fifty plus years haven't passed since the historic flight. These were the first flights. And yes, it was difficult. But we knew we were working to bring glory to our country, and to prevent our competitors from taking the lead. It was a tough competition of the two systems and countries, but I must say we were very happy, though it was difficult, to pave the way to space. Pashkov House, in Moscow's center, is hosting a reception in honor of the legendary conqueror of space, during which a large-scale multimedia project "The Legend of Valentina" will be shown.