On June 18, 1983, Sally Ride became the first American woman in space as a mission specialist on the space shuttle Challenger. But even before that, Dr. Ride was a pioneer as a woman in the field of astrophysics.

In 1977, Ride had already earned her Ph.D. from Stanford when she saw an announcement that NASA was looking for young scientists for its shuttle flights. Eight thousand people responded to the announcement. Only six women were selected for the thirty-five available spots – including Sally Ride.

Her first exploration of space took place on the six-day Challenger mission. She said of that flight, "The thing that I'll remember most about the flight is that it was fun. In fact, I'm sure it was the most fun I'll ever have in my life."

Ride flew into space again in 1984. In 1986, she was part of the presidential commission investigating the Challenger explosion. Dr. Ride retired from NASA in 1987. Since then she has been a Science Fellow at Stanford University, and served as Director of the California Space Institute and Professor of Physics at the University of California, San Diego, where she pursued one of her heartfelt crusades: encouraging young women to study science and math.

Dr. Ride also served as president of space.com, a website about the space industry, and as the force behind EarthKAM, an Internet-based NASA project that allows middle school classes to take pictures of Earth from space. Her most recent enterprise is Imaginary Lines, an organization founded to provide support for all the girls who are, or might become, interested in science, math and technology.

Dr. Ride has received numerous awards, including the Jefferson Award for Public Service and the Women's Research and Education Institute's American Woman Award, and is a two-time recipient of the National Spaceflight Medal.


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