Sally ride biography pictures shuttle

Sally Ride was the first American woman in space. She made her journey into history on June 18, Throughout her life, Dr. Ride broke barriers and worked to ensure that girls and women were encouraged to do the same.

Sally Kristen Ride was born on May 26, , in Encino, California to Carol Joyce and Dale Burdell Ride. Growing up, Sally and her sister were encouraged to follow their individual interests and they had a happy, loving home.

As a child, Ride was an avid tennis player and had dreams of becoming a professional. She began playing tennis at age 10, and subsequently won a scholarship to the Westlake School for Girls in Los Angeles. While in her teens, Ride was ranked in the top 20 nationally on the junior tennis circuit. After graduating from high school, she attended Swarthmore College in Pennsylvania. During her sophomore year, she left Swarthmore to pursue a career in tennis. After three months she determined that college was a better option for her, and enrolled at Stanford University. In , she received a Bachelor of Science in physics and a Bachelor of Arts in English. She continued at Stanford, earning her Master of Science and doctorate degrees in physics in and

In , Ride answered a newspaper ad placed by the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA). Realizing that technological and scientific skills were as important to the future of the Space Program as good pilots, NASA began a search for young scientists to serve as "mission specialists" on future space flights. Ride was one of only 5 women selected for NASA’s class of ’ Her natural athletic ability was an incredible asset as she trained with NASA in  Parachute jumping and water survival training accompanied her technical and scientific instruction. 

Ride was one of five crew members aboard the space shuttle Challenger STS-7. On June 18, , she became the first American woman in space and the youngest American in space at that time. The mission took one week to complete. Before

Sally Ride&#;s place in history was assured on June 18, , when she rocketed into space on Challenger&#;s STS-7 mission with four male crewmates. Her contribution to America&#;s space program continued right up until her death.

After two trips to orbit aboard the shuttle, she went on to an award-winning academic career at the University of California, San Diego, where her expertise and wisdom were widely sought on matters related to space. She holds the distinction of being the only person to serve as a member of both investigation boards following NASA&#;s two space shuttle accidents.

She also served as a member of the Review of U.S. Human Spaceflight Plans Committee in which informed many of the decisions about NASA&#;s current human spaceflight programs.

&#;The fact that I was going to be the first American woman to go into space carried huge expectations along with it,&#; Ride recalled in an interview for the 25th anniversary of her flight in &#;That was made pretty clear the day that I was told I was selected as a crew. I was taken up to Chris Kraft&#;s office. He wanted to have a chat with me and make sure I knew what I was getting into before I went on the crew. I was so dazzled to be on the crew and go into space I remembered very little of what he said.&#;

&#;On launch day, there was so much excitement and so much happening around us in crew quarters, even on the way to the launch pad,&#; Ride said. &#;I didn&#;t really think about it that much at the time – but I came to appreciate what an honor it was to be selected to be the first to get a chance to go into space.&#;

Sally Ride broke barriers with grace and professionalism – and literally changed the face of America&#;s space program.- Former NASA Administrator Charles Bolden

Ride joined NASA as part of the astronaut class, the first to include women. She and five other women, along with 29 men, were selected out of 8, applicants. The class became known as the &#;Thirty-Five New

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Who Was Sally Ride?

Dr. Sally Ride studied at Stanford University before beating out 1, other applicants for a spot in NASA's astronaut program. After rigorous training, Ride joined the Challenger shuttle mission on June 18, , and became the first American woman in space.

Early Life and Education

Born on May 26, , Ride grew up in Los Angeles and went to Stanford University, where she was a double major in physics and English. Ride received bachelor's degrees in both subjects in She continued to study physics at the university, earning a master's degree in and a Ph.D. in

NASA

That same year, Ride beat out 1, other applicants for a spot in the National Aeronautics and Space Administration's (NASA) astronaut program. She went through the program’s rigorous training program and got her chance to go into space and the record books in On June 18, Ride became the first American woman in space, aboard the space shuttle Challenger. As a mission specialist, she helped deploy satellites and worked other projects. She returned to Earth on June

The next year, Ride again served as a mission specialist on a space shuttle flight in October. She was scheduled to take a third trip, but it was canceled after the tragic Challenger accident on January 28, After the accident, Ride served on the presidential commission that investigated the space shuttle explosion.

Later Years

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 In , she 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. Ride served as president and CEO.

Death and Legacy

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. She wa

American physicist and astronaut (–)

For other uses, see Sally Ride (disambiguation).

Sally Kristen Ride (May 26, &#;– July 23, ) was an American astronaut and physicist. Born in Los Angeles, she joined NASA in , and in became the first American woman and the third woman to fly in space, after cosmonautsValentina Tereshkova in and Svetlana Savitskaya in She was the youngest American astronaut to have flown in space, having done so at the age of

Ride was a graduate of Stanford University, where she earned a Bachelor of Science degree in physics and a Bachelor of Arts degree in English literature in , a Master of Science degree in , and a Doctor of Philosophy in (both in physics) for research on the interaction of X-rays with the interstellar medium. She was selected as a mission specialist astronaut with NASA Astronaut Group 8, the first class of NASA astronauts to include women. After completing her training in , she served as the ground-based capsule communicator (CapCom) for the second and third Space Shuttle flights, and helped develop the Space Shuttle's robotic arm. In June , she flew in space on the Space Shuttle Challenger on the STS-7 mission. The mission deployed two communications satellites and the first Shuttle pallet satellite (SPAS-1). Ride operated the robotic arm to deploy and retrieve SPAS Her second space flight was the STSG mission in