On June 18, 1983, astronaut Sally Ride became the first American woman to travel to space, setting a significant milestone in history. Ride, born in Los Angeles in 1951, earned her bachelor’s degrees in English and physics from Stanford University before continuing on to receive a Ph.D. in physics in 1978. She saw an ad for a NASA astronaut recruitment, which led her to become one of the six women selected out of over 8,000 applicants to join the astronaut class in January 1978. Training and evaluation soon followed, culminating in Ride’s assignment as a mission specialist on the Space Shuttle Challenger for STS-7, which launched on June 18, 1983, and lasted six days, involving deploying communications satellites.
Although Ride was the first American woman in space, she was actually the third woman overall to venture into space, following Cosmonaut Valentina Tereshkova and Svetlana Yevgenyevna Savitskaya. Ride returned to space for a second mission on STS-41-G in 1984, spending eight days in space before being assigned to a third spaceflight that was ultimately canceled due to the Challenger disaster in 1986. She then took on a role with the Rogers Commission to investigate the cause of the disaster. Ride’s time in space left a profound impact on her, particularly the realization of the fragility and importance of Earth’s atmosphere as seen from afar.
After retiring from NASA in 1987, Ride took on a teaching position at the University of California, San Diego, and founded Sally Ride Science in 2001 to inspire girls to pursue careers in STEM fields. She was inducted into the Astronaut Hall of Fame in 2003 and was remembered for her grace, professionalism, and the pivotal role she played in changing the face of America’s space program. Ride passed away on July 23, 2012, at the age of 61, following a battle with pancreatic cancer. Her legacy lives on through the countless girls inspired to pursue science due to her groundbreaking achievements.
Ride’s experience in space offered her unique perspectives on weightlessness and the fragility of Earth’s atmosphere, leading to moments of both awe and playfulness during her missions. Her favorite aspect of spaceflight was the sensation of weightlessness that could not be replicated on Earth, allowing her to perform somersaults and float effortlessly around the spacecraft. Through her work in education and advocacy for women in STEM fields, Ride left a lasting impact on future generations of scientists and engineers who were inspired by her trailblazing accomplishments.
The project Spearheaded by Ride allowed middle school students to capture images of the moon using cameras aboard NASA’s Grail spacecraft, showcasing her commitment to encouraging curiosity and exploration in the next generation of scientists. Ride’s contributions to space exploration, education, and gender equality in STEM fields solidified her legacy as a pioneering figure in American history and a role model for aspiring scientists, particularly girls who found encouragement and inspiration through her achievements.
