Sally Ride

By Grace

Can you imagine what it would be like to be an astronaut? To get into a rocket ship, and fly into space? Can you imagine being a little kid, and growing up, all you wanted to do was go to space?! Then when you were finally grown up, you were told you can’t do it, just because you are a girl? Growing up, Sally was a bright student who loved science and math. She studied at Stanford University before beating out 1,000 other applicants for a spot in the National Aeronautics and Space Administrations (NASA) astronaut program. Sally Ride was the first American woman in space. She was part of the Challenger crew, and went to space 2 times. Sally was scheduled to take a third trip, but was cancelled after the tragic Challenger accident. In 2001, Sally started her own company to create educational programs and products known as Sally Ride Science, to help inspire girls and young women to pursue their interests in science and math.

Sally Kristen Ride was born on May 26, 1951 in Encino, California. Her father, Dale, was a political science professor and her mother volunteered as a counselor at a prison for women. Growing up, Sally had a strong interest in science and math. She also was an athlete and enjoyed playing tennis. Sally grew up in Los Angeles and went to Stanford University, where she was a double major in Physics and English. Sally received Bachelor’s degrees in both subjects in 1973. She continued to study physics at the University, earning a Master’s degree in 1975 and a Ph. D. in 1978.

Dr. Sally Ride went through the program’s rigorous training program and got her chance to go into space and into the record books in 1983. On June 18, Sally became the first American woman in space, aboard the Space Shuttle Challenger. As a mission specialist, she helped deploy satellites and worked on other projects. Sally returned to Earth on June 24. The next year, she again served as a mission specialist on a space shuttle flight, in October. Ride was scheduled to take a third trip, but it was cancelled, after the tragic Challenger accident on January 28, 1986. After the accident, she served on the presidential commission that investigated the space shuttle accident.

The Space Shuttle Challenger was a fatal incident, in the United States Space Program that occurred on Tuesday, January 28, 1986, during which the Space Shuttle Challenger broke apart 73 seconds into its flight, killing all 7 crew members aboard. The spacecraft disintegrated over the Atlantic Ocean, off the coast of Cape Canaveral, Florida, at 11:39 a.m. The disintegration of the vehicle occurred after a joint on its right solid rocket booster failed at liftoff. There was a gap in between two pieces of medal, and they filled it in with a thing called O-ring seals. O-ring seals were not designed to handle the cold conditions, that were at this launch. The O-ring seals blew up the rocket.

After NASA, Ride became the director of the California Space Institute at the University of California, San Diego, as well as a professor of physics at the school in 1989. In 2001, she started her own company to create educational programs and products known as Sally Ride Science. Ride served as president and CEO. For her contributions, to the field of science and space exploration, Ride received many honors, including the NASA Space Flight Medal and the NCAA’s Theodore Roosevelt Award. Sally Ride was also inducted into the National Women’s Hall of Fame, and the Astronaut Hall of Fame. On July 23, 2012, Sally died at the age of 61, following by a 17-month battle with pancreatic cancer. She will always be remembered as a pioneering astronaut, who went where no other American woman had gone before.

Dr. Sally Ride made history when she became the first American woman in space. She inspired thousands of young women. Always pursue and never give up on your dreams, even if it is nothing like what has been done before.