Russia: Galina Andreevna Balashova
Born in 1931 in Kolomna, USSR (modern day Russia), Galina Andreevna Balashova is the first woman architect to design for the Soviet Space Program, pioneering architecture for cosmonautics. She holds a diploma in architecture from the Moscow Architectural Institute in Moscow. Balashova worked as an architect for the Special Design Bureau No. 1 of OKB-1, also known as the S. P. Korolev Rocket and Space Corporation “Energia,” or RSC Energia, a Russian aerospace company which designed and manufactured components of spacecrafts and space stations for the Soviet Space Program. She designed interiors for zero-gravity environments of both space stations and spacecrafts (1963–1986), working on designs for the Buran space shuttle, the Salyut 6 space station, the Salyut 7 space station, the Mir space station, and the Soyuez spacecraft. She has also designed furniture and murals for spacecrafts. Balashova did not receive credit or recognition for her work until after 1991.
References
“Galina Balashova.” Arquitectura Viva, March 12, 2015. https://arquitecturaviva.com/articles/galina-balashova-architect-of-the-soviet-space-programme.
“‘Galina Balashova: Architect of the Soviet Space Programme’ at DAM Frankfurt.” BMIAA. September 5, 2015. https://web.archive.org/web/20160501193041/http://www.bmiaa.com/galina-balashova-architect-of-the-soviet-space-programme-at-dam-frankfurt/.
“Interview with Galina Balashova.” Vitra Design Museum. Accessed March 8, 2024. https://www.design-museum.de/en/ueber-design/interviews/detailseiten/interview-with-galina-balashova.html.
Meuser, Philipp, and Galina Andreevna Balašova, eds. Galina Balashova: Architect of the Soviet Space Programme. Basics 43. Berlin: DOM Publishers, 2015.
“Meeting with Galina Andreevna Balashova—Designer of the Soyuz, Salyut and Mir Space Stations, and the Lunar Orbital Spaceship.” Garage. May 19, 2018. https://garagemca.org/en/event/meeting-with-galina-andreevna-balashova-designer-of-the-soyuz-salyut-and-mir-space-stations-and-the-lunar-orbital-spaceship.
“Out of This World: The Space-Age Designs of Galina Balashova.” Kvadrat Interwoven. Accessed March 8, 2024. http://kvadratinterwoven.com/out-of-this-world-the-space-age-designs-of-galina-balashova.
Sokolina, Anna. “Breaking the Silence: Women in Russian Architecture.” In The Routledge Companion to Women in Architecture. Edited by Anna Sokolina. First edition, 341–56. Routledge, 2021. doi:10.4324/9780429278891-32.
