Sally Ride: A Pioneer In Space Exploration and Breaking Barriers
Sally Ride was a courageous trailblazer that opened a multitude of pathways for other young women who aspired to be astronauts.
The late former NASA astronaut Sally Ride floats in microgravity while in low-Earth orbit on the aft flight deck of the orbiter Challenger during the STS-7 mission in 1983, when she served as a mission specialist.
Written by Lahari Thota
Sally Ride was a courageous trailblazer that opened a multitude of pathways for other young women who aspired to be astronauts. Not only was she the first American woman to venture into space, she was also the youngest American in general and would later form various organizations and projects. In total, she made two shuttle flights and rose to become a champion in the fields of science and education.
Born on May 26, 1951, Ride’s childhood was spent in Los Angeles, California. She studied at a prestigious university, Stanford, and majored in physics and english. After receiving her bachelor degrees in 1973, she continued to study physics at the university, eventually earning both a master’s degree and Ph.D. During the same year, Ride impressively beat out 1,000 applicants for a spot in NASA’s astronaut program, proving her brilliance and intellect which would later lead her to many accomplishments and successes. Despite the rigorous training course, she pushed through and received an opportunity to travel to space in 1983.
1983 Challenger Crew. Astronaut Robert L. Crippen (center, first row) is crew commander. Other crew members are astronauts Frederick H. Hauck, right, pilot; and Sally K. Ride, John M. Fabian and Norman E. Thagard, mission specialists. NASA.
June 18th marked a historic day as Sally Kirsten Ride became the first American woman in space. She departed Earth on the Challenger alongside four crewmates, who were all selected in 1978 for NASA Astronaut group 8. Only after completing their mission training were the astronauts eligible for ground and flight assignments. Ride served as the mission specialist for the journey after being Capsule Communicator for STS-2 and STS-3 in 1981 and 1982. The mission itself was six days and was known for being the most complex in the shuttle program to that day. The crew launched two commercial communications satellites. Ride herself maneuvered the Shuttle’s robotic arm to deploy the Shuttle’s first satellite and retrieve it several days after. This was the very first time the shuttle was used to return a spacecraft to Earth, and an extremely gifted woman was responsible for the task. The shuttle was supposed to land at Kennedy Space Center, but due to inclement weather, it ended up landing in Edward’s Air Force Base located in California. Due to her successful mission, Ride was scheduled to take another mission the very next October, once again as the mission specialist.
STS-41G was the 13th Space Shuttle mission and Sally Ride’s second mission. It was especially significant as another woman, Sullivan, was included on the flight. She is notable for being the first American woman to walk in space, which truly displays the impressive legacy Ride created, as many other women including Sullivan followed in her fateful footsteps. This mission was one of the first to completely study the Earth. The ERBS, an imperative satellite, was deployed during the mission and the office of Space and Terrestrial Applications conducted three experiments in the payload bay. The mission ended successfully as Ride and her crewmates landed on October 13, 1984. Not only did Ride just play a major role in two successful space missions as the mission specialist, she also achieved many accomplishments in her later years.
Sally Ride, Kathryn Sullivan, and the rest of the STS-41G crewmates. NASA.
After her job at NASA, Ride was able to become the director of the California Space institute at the University of California. She also taught as a professor of physics at the university. In 2001, Ride founded her own company, Sally Ride Science, which motivated girls and boys to pursue their scientific and mathematical interests. She also received many honors and medals such as the NASA Space Flight Medal and the NCAA’s Theodore Roosevelt Award. Not only this, but she was also inducted into the Astronaut Hall of Fame and National Women’s Hall of Fame for her many scientific and space exploration related contributions.
Sally Ride was a NASA astronaut for 11 years before joining the UCSD faculty as a physics professor and director of the California Space Institute.
Sally Kirsten Ride passed away on July 17th, 2012 after bravely battling for 17 months against pancreatic cancer. She is remembered to this day as a scientific pioneer and a revolutionary Woman in STEM who traveled to the reaches of space where no other American woman had ventured before.
Sources
"Sally Ride - Facts, Education & Quotes." Biography, 10 May 2021, www.biography.com/scientists/sally-ride.
"Sally Ride – First American Woman in Space." NASA, 26 Sept. 2023, www.nasa.gov/history/sally-ride-first-american-woman-in-space/.
"Sally Ride." Stanford University School of Engineering, engineering.stanford.edu/about/heroes/2014-heroes/sally-ride#:~:text=Ride%20was%20a%20professor%20of,seven%20science%20books%20for%20children.
"STS-41G Fact Sheet." Spaceline | Dedicated To Covering The Past, Present And Future Of Cape Canaveral, www.spaceline.org/united-states-manned-space-flight/space-shuttle-mission-program-fact-sheets/sts-41g/.
