On June 18, 1983, Astronaut Sally Ride made history as the first American woman to go to space. Born on May 26, 1951, in Los Angeles, Ride obtained bachelor’s degrees in English and physics from Stanford University before pursuing a PhD in physics. While working on her doctorate, Ride saw a newspaper ad that caught her attention: NASA was seeking astronauts, including women, for the first time in its history.
Over 8,000 men and women applied that year, and Ride was one of the lucky 35 individuals accepted. She joined NASA in January 1978, beginning a one-year training and evaluation period. Eventually, she was assigned as a mission specialist on a future space shuttle mission. Alongside three fellow astronaut classmates, Ride was chosen for the STS-7 mission.
STS-7 took place on June 18, 1983, launching from Kennedy Space Center in Cape Canaveral, Florida. The mission lasted six days and involved deploying communications satellites. Ride’s role on the shuttle was operating the robotic arm to release the satellites into space. Although Ride was the first American woman in space, she was actually the third woman overall to travel to space. The Russian cosmonaut Valentina Tereshkova was the first woman to go to space in 1963, while Svetlana Yevgenyevna Savitskaya became the second in 1982.
Ride had the opportunity to embark on a second spaceflight, STS-41-G, in 1984. Unfortunately, this mission was canceled due to the Challenger disaster in 1986. Instead, Ride joined the Rogers Commission, which investigated the cause of the Challenger explosion. Her time in space had a profound impact on her perspective. She described her first glimpse of Earth from space, noting how the thin blue line represented the delicate and crucial nature of our atmosphere.
Aside from her space achievements, Ride made significant contributions to science education and advocacy for women in STEM fields. After retiring from NASA in 1987, she became a professor at the University of California, San Diego, and founded Sally Ride Science, an organization dedicated to inspiring young girls to pursue careers in science. Ride’s legacy lives on through her impact on countless young minds and her induction into the Astronaut Hall of Fame in 2003.
Tragically, Sally Ride passed away on July 23, 2012, at the age of 61 from pancreatic cancer. Her contributions to space exploration, science education, and women’s empowerment continue to be celebrated today. Former NASA Administrator Charles Bolden described Ride as a trailblazer who transformed America’s space program. Through her two space flights, Ride spent a total of 343 hours in space, leaving an indelible mark on history.
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