March 22, 2023

Ashlyn Tsang, Maya Puterman, Noa Essner 

10th Grade

Sally Ride was the first woman to have traveled to outer space. Born on May 26, 1951, Ride’s childhood included playing volleyball and tennis. She grew up and attended high school in Los Angeles, and then she studied at Stanford University to earn her degree in Physics. In 1977, NASA wanted women astronauts and started an astronaut program that encouraged women to apply. Ride applied, and was one of six women to be accepted for the program. 

Sally Ride earned her Ph.D. in astrophysics and started her preparation courses during that year. Ride had earned her pilot’s license and had finished her NASA training in August of 1979, and she became eligible and assigned as a U.S. space shuttle mission specialist. On June 18, 1983, Sally Ride flew to outer space as an astronaut and officially became the first woman to do so. She was boarding “Challenger”, the name of a shuttle orbit. On this mission, her job was to control the robotic arm and use it to put out satellites into space. This journey lasted six days, and in October of 1984, Ride boarded Challenger a second time. However, the Challenger exploded during its time in space in January of 1986. This resulted in NASA banning any shuttle flights for more than two years, and Ride was assigned to examine the accident. 

Ride resigned from NASA in 1987, and started educating students in physics, at the University of California in San Diego. She was also appointed the director of the school’s California Space Institute. In 2000, Ride organized many programs dedicated to advancing science in education. She did this in a way that also specifically encouraged and supported young women who were interested in subjects including mathematics, science, and technology. NASA’s EarthKAM project was developed by Ride. EarthKAM gives access to pictures of the Earth to students by using a camera on the International Space Station. Ride also wrote children’s books about the exploration of space as well as her own experience as an astronaut. She was added to the Astronaut Hall of Fame in 2003 and awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom in 2013. 

Sally Ride passed away on July 23, 2012. As she was the first woman to fly in space, Ride also provided resources and support for girls up until her death. Through all the discrimination she experienced during her career as an astronaut, Ride wanted to show that women are just as powerful and can achieve the same things as anyone else can.