Adventure Nannies Blog

Ride, Sally, Ride: Celebrating The 1st American Woman In Space

 

 

 

We are so inspired by women who challenge the glass ceiling and work confidently to break through barriers in their quest for equity. Sally Ride, the first woman in space, broke through the most magnificent glass ceiling so we wanted to share a bit about her incredible legacy to honor her for Sally Ride Day on May 26th.

 

 

 

Dr. Sally Ride studied at Stanford University before beating out 1,000 other applicants for a spot in NASA’s astronaut program. After extensive training, Ride joined the Challenger shuttle mission on June 18, 1983, and became the first American woman in space.

 

Born on May 26, 1951, Sally Ride grew up in Los Angeles and attended Stanford University, where she was a double major in physics and English. Ride received bachelor’s degrees in both subjects in 1973, then she continued to study physics at the university, earning a master’s degree in 1975 and then a Ph.D. in 1978. This was at a time when so few women were working in STEAM fields so Sally’s determination to achieve an exceptional science-centered education was groundbreaking.

 

 

 

 

That same year, Ride beat out 1,000 other applicants for a highly-coveted 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 shoot for the stars and land in the record books in 1983.

 

 

 

 

On June 18, 1983, Sally Ride became the first American woman in space on the space shuttle Challenger. As a mission specialist, she helped manage satellites, robotics, and worked extensively on a variety of other projects. Sally and the entire Challenger team returned safely to Earth on June 24.

 

 

 

 

The next year, Ride served once again as a mission specialist on a space shuttle flight in October. She was scheduled to take a third trip, but that trip was canceled after the tragic Challenger accident on January 28, 1986. After the horrible Challenger accident, Ride served on the presidential commission that investigated the space shuttle explosion. Sally and her entire team were able to conduct groundbreaking research that informed the space program from then on, hopefully preventing such a disaster from ever happening again.

 

 

 

 

After her incredible work with NASA, Ride moved to San Diego with her partner and 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 to help inspire girls and young women to pursue their interests in STEAM studies. Ride served as president and CEO and the inspiring company still thrives in her absence.

 

 

 

 

 

For her priceless contributions to the field of science and space exploration, Sally received many awards, including the NASA Space Flight Medal and the NCAA’s Theodore Roosevelt Award. She was also inducted into the National Women’s Hall of Fame and the Astronaut Hall of Fame.

 

 

 

 

 

 

The remarkable life and legacy of Sally Ride is an amazing inspiration to all of us, and if you are interested in learning more about the STEAM-centric organization that Sally created, check it out right here!

 

 


 

 

Do you have a special hero that you admire in the STEAM field? We’d love to hear about them – reach out to us on Facebook, Instagram, and check out the other posts on the blog!

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