Sally Ride

Sally Ride. An American physicist and astronaut who became a pioneering figure in the history of spaceflight and science education. Selected for NASA Astronaut Group 8 in 1978, she flew aboard the Space Shuttle Challenger during the STS-7 mission in 1983, becoming the first American woman and the third woman overall to travel to outer space. Following her career at NASA, she was a passionate advocate for STEM education, co-founding Sally Ride Science and serving on the committees that investigated the Space Shuttle Challenger disaster and the Space Shuttle Columbia disaster.

Early life and education

Sally Kristen Ride was born in Los Angeles to parents Joyce and Dale Ride. She displayed an early aptitude for science and athletics, particularly enjoying tennis, and was a nationally ranked junior player. She attended Westlake School for Girls before enrolling at Swarthmore College, though she later transferred to Stanford University. At Stanford, she earned a Bachelor of Arts in English literature and a Bachelor of Science in physics in 1973. She continued her graduate studies in physics at Stanford, receiving a Master of Science in 1975 and a Doctor of Philosophy in 1978, with her doctoral research focused on astrophysics and the interaction of X-rays with the interstellar medium.

NASA career

In 1978, Ride was selected as one of the first six female astronaut candidates for NASA Astronaut Group 8, a class that also included Guion Bluford and Judith Resnik. She served as a capsule communicator for the STS-2 and STS-3 missions. Her first spaceflight was as a mission specialist on STS-7 aboard the Space Shuttle Challenger in June 1983, a mission that deployed communications satellites like ANIK C-2 and PALAPA-B1 and conducted pharmaceutical experiments. Her second flight was on STS-41-G in October 1984, also aboard Challenger, which deployed the Earth Radiation Budget Satellite and demonstrated satellite refueling. She was training for a third mission when the Space Shuttle Challenger disaster occurred in 1986, after which she served on the Rogers Commission investigating the tragedy.

Post-NASA career and later life

After leaving NASA in 1987, Ride became a professor of physics at the University of California, San Diego and directed the California Space Institute. She authored several books on space for young audiences. In 2001, she co-founded the educational company Sally Ride Science with partner Tam O'Shaughnessy to inspire young people, especially girls, in STEM fields. She served on the Review of United States Human Space Flight Plans Committee and was a member of the Columbia Accident Investigation Board following the Space Shuttle Columbia disaster. She remained a board member for corporations like Space.com and Virgin Galactic.

Legacy and honors

Ride's legacy is profound in both space exploration and education. She was inducted into the National Women's Hall of Fame and the Astronaut Hall of Fame, and received the NASA Space Flight Medal twice. Posthumously, she was awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom by President Barack Obama. The United States Navy commissioned a research vessel named RV Sally Ride in her honor, and Northrop Grumman named a Cygnus spacecraft the S.S. Sally Ride. Her likeness appears on a United States quarter as part of the American Women quarters program, and numerous schools across the United States, such as Sally Ride Elementary School in Woodlands, Texas, bear her name.

Personal life

Ride was married to fellow NASA astronaut Steven Hawley from 1982 to 1987. Following her divorce, her long-term partner was Tam O'Shaughnessy, a professor of psychology at San Diego State University and co-founder of Sally Ride Science; their relationship was revealed publicly in Ride's obituary. An intensely private person, she enjoyed activities like running, volleyball, and writing. Diagnosed with pancreatic cancer, she died at her home in La Jolla in 2012. Her papers are archived at the University of California, San Diego Library.

Category:American astronauts Category:American physicists Category:Stanford University alumni