Sally Ride, the first American woman in space, dies at the age of 61

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Sally Ride, the first American woman in space, dies at the age of 61

Earlier today, former astronaut Sally Ride died at the age of 61 from pancreatic cancer. Ride made history in 1983 when at the age of 32, she became the first American woman in space.

“Sally Ride broke barriers with grace and professionalism - and literally changed the face of America’s space program,” NASA administrator Charles Bolden, a former astronaut, said in a statement.

“She will be missed, but her star will always shine brightly,” Bolden said.

Ride grew up in Los Angeles and attended Stanford University, where she earned degrees in physics and English. She joined NASA’s astronaut corps in 1978.

She was assigned to a third shuttle flight, but training for the mission was cut off after the fatal 1986 Challenger accident that claimed the lives of six colleagues and a schoolteacher.

Ride served as a member of the presidential commission that investigated the accident, then assisted the agency as an administrator with long-range and strategic planning.

She left NASA in 1989 and joined Stanford as a professor. Ride’s interest in education extended to younger students, particularly women whom she targeted with her science education startup Sally Ride Science in San Diego.

The company creates science programs and publications for elementary and middle school students and educators.

Ride also authored five science books for children and served on dozens of NASA, space and technology advisory panels, including the board that investigated the second fatal space shuttle accident in 2003.

Via