This Week In American History: On June 18, 1983 Sally Ride became the first American woman to go up in space as a crew member of the space shuttle Challenger STS-7. She served as the flight engineer during the mission.
Sally Ride’s Early Life
Sally Ride was born on May 26, 1951 in Encino, California. Ride played tennis as a child. Eventually, she won a tennis scholarship to the Westlake School for Girls in Las Angeles. Ride ranked in the top 20 nationally on the junior tennis circuit while in her teens.
Sally Ride’s Life In College
Although she started college at Swarthmore College in Pennsylvania, Ride enrolled at Stanford University just three months into her college career. She went on to receive a Bachelor of Science in physics and a Bachelor of Arts in English in 1973. Ride continued at Stanford and earned her Master of Science and doctorate degrees in physics in 1975 and 1978.
Sally Ride Joins NASA
Ride answered a newspaper ad NASA placed in 1977. NASA was looking for young scientists to serve as “mission specialists” on future space flights. Ride ended up being one of only five women selected by NASA for their class of ’78. Fortunately, her athletic ability turned out to be an asset as parachute jumping and water survival training accompanied her technical and scientific instruction.
Sally Ride: The First American Woman To Go Up In Space
Ride served as one of five crewmembers on the space shuttle Challenger STS-7. On June 18, 1983 she not only became the first American woman to go up in space, but the youngest American.
The mission was a week long. Ride served as the flight engineer. She launched two communications satellites, operated Challenger’s mechanical arm, and conducted various experiments.
Ride went another shuttle mission on October 5, 1984. This mission saw her in space for eight days on the STS-41G. She conducted scientific observations of the Earth while up in space. She also worked on refueling techniques for shuttles.
Sally Ride’s Life After Being An Astronaut
After the Challenger accident in 1986, Ride worked on investigating it. After the investigation, Ride was given the role of special assistant to the NASA administrator for long range and strategic planning.
Ride served as the Director of the California Space Science Institute. Furthermore, she worked as a physicist and physics professor at the University of California, San Diego. Ride served as both a member of the President’s Committee of Advisors on Science and Technology and on the Advisory Both of the National Women’s History Museum.
During her life, Ride sought to improve science education and help young women and girls foster an interest in science. She authored seven children’s book with space exploration themes. She and her life partner Tam O’Shaughnessy established Sally Ride Science, a non-profit organization that encourages children to take an interest in the STEM fields.
After a 17-month battle with pancreatic cancer, Ride passed away on July 23, 2012. In 2013, then President Obama posthumously honored Ride with a Presidential Medal of Freedom. Her partner O’Shaughnessy accepted the award on Ride’s behalf.
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Info Source: WomensHistory.org
Photo Source: Wikimedia Commons
