In the history of Soviet/Russian space exploration, there have only been three Russian women-cosmonauts: Valentina Tereshkova, Svetlana Savitskaya, and Elena Kondakova.

But will this elite club of courageous Soviet/Russian women welcome a fourth member? The answer may be given in a couple of years.

Female Cosmonauts in Space

The first was Valentina Tereshkova, who flew 3 day mission in Vostok 6, in 1963. She was the world"s first woman in space.

Another was Svetlana Savitskaya, who flew two short duration missions to Salyut 7: in 1982, and 1984. She was the world"s first woman to flytwice in space and to make a spacewalk. Savitskaya retired from her active cosmonaut"s duty in 1993.

The third was Elena Kondakova, who flew on a five month long mission to Mir in 1994-95. This was the first long-duration flight ever made bya woman. In 1997, Kondakova also flew in STS-84. This was one of many shuttle missions to Mir space station. Kondakova is physically fit and professionally competent to fly in space again, but she has switched from space to political activities after becoming State Duma (lower chamber of the Russian parliament) deputy in 1999.

Nadezhda Kuzhelnaya, 38, is currently training for her first space mission. So far she is the only woman to be seriously considered as a cosmonaut for near-term space missions.

Kuzhelnaya was born in Alexeevskaya town located in Volga region, in central Russia. She graduated from high school located in Krivoi Rog, in Ukraine. Nadezhda (her name means a hope in Russian) began her graduate studies in the Institute of Architecture but soon realized that she wanted to study aviation.

In 1984, she became a student of Moscow Aviation Institute (MAI), a leading academic institution in Russia, which trains aircraft, helicopter and spacecraft designers. She graduated from MAI in 1988.

Aviation studies were just one expression of her passion for flying. In 1981, Kuzhelnaya became a member of an aviation club. She flew aerobatics through 1994. During those 13 years of active flight duty, she became an aerobatics pilot of the highest order, eventually mastering the Sukhoi 26 high-performance aerobatics aircraft. Kuzhelnaya was also a member of the only Russian all-female aerobatics team called the "Swallows."

In 1988, Kuzhelnaya became an employee of RKK Energia, Russias leading manufacturer of space hardware for human spaceflights. Energia developed and operates the Mir space station.

"I wanted to become a cosmonaut like many other Russian kids, having read a lot of science fiction literature and having seen many science fiction movies," said Kuzhelnaya in her exclusive interview with SPACE.com. "I was also very excited by Savitskayas flight."

There is a common perception that Russia has some catching up to do in the area of equal rights for women, especially in professions that at traditionally dominated by men. Flying in space is one of them, and Kuzhelnaya acknowledges this challenge.

"Any woman who has approached a difficult job, must prove that she is at least as competent as a man to do it. So, I had to deal with a number of difficulties," said Kuzhelnaya. "I would not like to be treated like a woman at work. I would accept gentlemans treatment of me outside my work environment. I would like to be treated like a professional equal to men," she said.

Kuzhelnaya admitted that she has had to occasionally deal with male chauvinism among her colleagues, however, these episodes were rare.

"I would not say that female cosmonauts are not welcomed in Russian space program," said Kuzhelnaya. "I must say however, that all spaceflight hardware, including spacesuits and spacecraft comfort assuring systems, were designed mostly by men and for men. For this reason women do not really fit into Russian spacecraft environment."

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"I believe that more women must be admitted to cosmonauts training in Russia," said Kuzhelnaya. "Women [are] an important driving force behind human civilizations development. If women can be railroad workers in Russia and lay rails on permanent ways, why could not they fly in space?"

Kuzhelnaya became a member of Russias Cosmonauts Unit in 1994. She got her cosmonauts diploma in 1996.

Nadezhda Kuzhelnaya is training in a Soyuz spacecraft simulator.

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The second and the third taxi missions scheduled to fly to the station in the fall of 2001, and in the spring of 2002, may not be for Kuzhelnaya either.

"To sell flight engineers seats to foreigners is a current policy of the Russian space authorities," said Kuzhelnaya. Claudie Andre-Deshays will be the first foreign flight engineer to fly in Soyuz to ISS in October 2001.

"Europeans are working on a rescue ship. They need to gain necessary space flight experience," said Kuzhelnaya. "Four other 'taxi' missions will be flown by foreign flight engineers. Nobody knows who will be third crew members on these missions. But most likely third seats will be sold as well."

According to Kuzhelnaya, there is also a possibility that all Soyuz spacecraft will be flown to the ISS in 2002, by the stations main crews. In this case only crewmembers of the ISS main missions will steer Russian lifeboats to the outpost.

One of Kuzhelnayas major professional hopes is related to U.S.-Russian cooperation in human spaceflight. "I know that American EVA suits are more comfortable than the Russians'. I have a slight hope that may be some day I will work outside a spacecraft in a U.S. EVA spacesuit. I would be very happy to fly a main mission in ISS, or as a mission, or payload specialist in space shuttle."

Kuzhelnaya is training for her future spaceflight five days a week, from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m., including physical exercises.

Nadezhda Kuzhelnaya with her two-year-old baby girl Katya in snowy Star City.

She lives in a 204.5-square-foot (19-square-meter) room, together with her husband and two-year-old baby daughter Katya. She makes and equivalent of about $130 per month. Her husband Vladimir, 52, a retired military pilot, makes even less about $60 per month. This all the money they can count on.