June 18, 1983: Sally Ride, the First American Woman Into Space | WIRED June 18, 1983: Sally Ride, the First American Woman Into Space subscribe 6 months for $5 - plus a FREE Portable Phone Charger. Author: Tony Long. Tony Long Date of Publication: 06.18.12. Time of Publication: 6:30 am. 6:30 am June 18, 1983: Sally Ride, the First American Woman Into Space Image: Wikimedia 1983: Sally Ride becomes the first American woman to travel into space. Ride, who hoped to become a professional tennis player before deciding she wasn’t good enough, became a physicist instead and joined NASA in 1978 as part of the first astronaut class to accept women. After the usual training, Ride joined ground control for the second and third space shuttle missions, serving as communications liaison between the shuttle crews and mission control. She was also involved in developing the robot arm used aboard the shuttle craft to deploy and retrieve satellites. Ride’s turn to go into space came at the shuttle program’s seventh mission, as a crew member aboard Challenger .

She was aboard Challenger for her second flight as well, an eight-day mission in 1984. In all, Ride logged around 345 hours in space. While it was a milestone for the U.S. space program, the Soviet Union’s Valentina Tereshkova preceded Ride into space by almost exactly 20 years. On June 16, 1963, the former textile worker went aloft aboard Vostok VI Ride was training for her third mission when Challenger blew up in January 1986, killing everyone on board. With all training suspended in the wake of the accident, Ride was appointed to the presidential commission charged with investigating the causes of Challenger’ s demise. She retired from NASA in 1987 to return to Stanford University, her alma mater. She later joined the faculty at UC San Diego as a physics professor. Since leaving NASA, Ride has remained active in the academic side of space exploration, taking a special interest in attracting more women to the sciences in general, and the space program in particular. (Sources: NASA, Lucidcafe.com) This article first appeared on Wired.com June 18, 2007.

See Also: Sally Ride: First American Woman in Space (Pictures) Sally Ride: First American Woman in Space (Pictures) By SPACE.com Staff | June 18, 2013 07:18am ET MORE Sally Ride on Shuttle Challenger's Middeck on STS-7 Mission Credit: NASA Astronaut Sally Ride is pictured on the space shuttle Challenger's middeck during the STS-7 mission. Sally Ride Sally Ride in an official NASA portrait. Sally Ride, First American Woman in Space Credit: NASA The first U.S. woman in space, Sally Ride, monitors control panels from the pilot's chair on the Flight Deck of the STS-7 mission. STS-7 Crew Photo Credit: NASA Inflight view of the crew of the STS-7 mission. In the rear from left to right are Astronauts Robert L. Crippen, crew commander; Frederick H. Hauck, pilot; and John M. Fabian, mission specialist. In front are Drs. Sally K. Ride and Norman E. Thagard, mission specialists.

Sally Ride & Frederick Hauck Train for STS-7 Mission Credit: NASA Two members of the STS-7 crew, mission specialist Sally Ride and pilot Frederick Hauck, go over procedures in operating the remote manipulator system at the Johnson Space Center. Sally Ride Discusses Anniversary of Her Historic Trip to Space Credit: NASA Johnson Space Center (NASA-JSC). Astronaut Sally K. Ride, mission specialist for STS-7, standing outside of the Shuttle Mission Simulator (SMS) on May 27, 1983. She is wearing the shuttle blue flight suit. STS-7 Crew During Training Members of the STS-7 crew are pictured during a training session. Sally Ride Reviews STS-3 Post-Flight Data Credit: NASA Astronaut Sally K. Ride goes over post-flight data from STS-3 during a crew debriefing session at the Johnson Space Center in Houston. Sally Ride in Mission Control During STS-2 Simulation Credit: NASA Astronaut Sally Ride at the CapCom console during STS-2 simulation.

Sally Ride Answers Questions About STS-7 Mission Credit: NASA Astronaut Sally Ride, mission specialist for the STS-7 mission, responds to a question from an interviewer during a taping session for ABC's Night Line. STS-41G Crew Photo Credit: NASA The STS-41G crew. In the lead is mission specialist Kathryn Sullivan. Behind her is commander Robert Crippen and mission specialist Sally Ride. Behind Crippen and Ride are payload specialist Paul Scully-Power and mission specialist David Leestma. Behind them are pilot Jon McBride and payload specialist Marc Garneau. Sally Ride - Our Changing Climate America's first woman astronaut talks climate change with the help of satellite imagery. Credit: NASA/JPL Sally Ride at the Sally Ride Science Festival in 2003 Credit: NASA Former astronaut Sally Ride talks to young women at the Sally Ride Science Festival, held at the University of Central Florida, Orlando, Fla., in 2003. Sally Ride in a T-38 Aircraft Credit: NASA Astronaut Sally Ride is seated in the cockpit of a T-38 aircraft in preparation to depart for the Kennedy Space Center ahead of the STS-41G mission.

Sally Ride During Training Session for STS-7 Mission Credit: NASA Astronaut Sally Ride stands outside of the shuttle mission simulator after a training session for the STS-7 mission. Behind the Scenes : TRAINING Imagery Credit: NASA This is a montage of the individual portraits of the 35-member 1978 class of astronaut candidates. The image was created January 1978. Sally Ride on the Flight Deck Credit: NASA Seen on the flight deck of the space shuttle Challenger, astronaut Sally K. Ride, STS-7 mission specialist, became the first American woman in space on June 18, 1983. STS-7 Shuttle Mission Imagery Credit: NASA Astronaut Sally K. Ride, STS-7 mission specialist, performs a number of functions simultaneously, proving the necessity for versatility and dexterity in space travel. This image was taken on June 21, 1983. Sally Ride With Tools Used on Challenger Credit: NASA Astronaut Sally K. Ride, STS-7 mission specialist, displays the array of tools at her disposal on the mid deck of the Earth-orbiting Space Shuttle Challenger.

The image was taken in June 1983. Sally Ride Communicates With Ground Control Credit: NASA Astronaut Sally K. Ride, STS-7 mission specialist, communicates with ground controllers from the mid deck of the Earth-orbiting Space Shuttle Challenger. This image was taken in June 1983. Onboard the Challenger Credit: NASA Astronaut Robert L. Crippen, STS-7 commander, used a 35mm camera to expose this frame of the four representatives of the "thirty five new guys" onboard the Earth-orbiting Space Shuttle Challenger. This image was taken in JUne 1983. Sally Ride on a T-38 Jet Credit: NASA Astronaut Sally K. Ride, STS-7 mission specialist, takes one last look at familiar training environs before taking off from NASA’s Houston facility in a T-38 jet aircraft, destination: Florida and the Kennedy Space Center (KSC). This image was taken June 15, 1983. Mission Sequence Test Credit: NASA Astronaut Sally K.

Ride (left) participates in a mission sequence test in preparation for STS-7, in the Kennedy Space Center’s (KSC) vertical processing facility (VPF). This image was taken May 5, 1983. Pre-launch Activity for STS-6 Credit: NASA Astronaut Sally K. Ride, mission specialist for STS-7, scheduled for June 1983, records some of the pre-launch activity for STS-6 on 35mm film at the Kennedy Space Center (KSC). This image was taken April 4, 1983. Bag of "Worms" Onboard Credit: NASA Astronauts Kathryn D. Sullivan, left, and Sally K. Ride show off what appears to be a "bag of worms", a product of their creativity. The "bag" is a sleep restraint and the majority of the "worms" are springs and clips used with the sleep restraint in its normal application. This image was taken in October 1984.

previous | next Sally Ride on Shuttle Challenger's Middeck on STS-7 Mission Credit: NASA Astronaut Sally Ride is pictured on the space shuttle Challenger's middeck during the STS-7 mission. Sally Ride Sally Ride in an official NASA portrait. Sally Ride, First American Woman in Space Credit: NASA The first U.S. woman in space, Sally Ride, monitors control panels from the pilot's chair on the Flight Deck of the STS-7 mission. STS-7 Crew Photo Credit: NASA Inflight view of the crew of the STS-7 mission. In the rear from left to right are Astronauts Robert L. Crippen, crew commander; Frederick H. Hauck, pilot; and John M. Fabian, mission specialist. In front are Drs. Sally K. Ride and Norman E. Thagard, mission specialists. Sally Ride & Frederick Hauck Train for STS-7 Mission Credit: NASA Two members of the STS-7 crew, mission specialist Sally Ride and pilot Frederick Hauck, go over procedures in operating the remote manipulator system at the Johnson Space Center.

Sally Ride Discusses Anniversary of Her Historic Trip to Space Credit: NASA Johnson Space Center (NASA-JSC). Astronaut Sally K. Ride, mission specialist for STS-7, standing outside of the Shuttle Mission Simulator (SMS) on May 27, 1983. She is wearing the shuttle blue flight suit. STS-7 Crew During Training Members of the STS-7 crew are pictured during a training session. Sally Ride Reviews STS-3 Post-Flight Data Credit: NASA Astronaut Sally K. Ride goes over post-flight data from STS-3 during a crew debriefing session at the Johnson Space Center in Houston. Sally Ride in Mission Control During STS-2 Simulation Credit: NASA Astronaut Sally Ride at the CapCom console during STS-2 simulation. Sally Ride Answers Questions About STS-7 Mission Credit: NASA Astronaut Sally Ride, mission specialist for the STS-7 mission, responds to a question from an interviewer during a taping session for ABC's Night Line. STS-41G Crew Photo Credit: NASA The STS-41G crew. In the lead is mission specialist Kathryn Sullivan.

Behind her is commander Robert Crippen and mission specialist Sally Ride. Behind Crippen and Ride are payload specialist Paul Scully-Power and mission specialist David Leestma. Behind them are pilot Jon McBride and payload specialist Marc Garneau. Sally Ride - Our Changing Climate America's first woman astronaut talks climate change with the help of satellite imagery. Credit: NASA/JPL Sally Ride at the Sally Ride Science Festival in 2003 Credit: NASA Former astronaut Sally Ride talks to young women at the Sally Ride Science Festival, held at the University of Central Florida, Orlando, Fla., in 2003. Sally Ride in a T-38 Aircraft Credit: NASA Astronaut Sally Ride is seated in the cockpit of a T-38 aircraft in preparation to depart for the Kennedy Space Center ahead of the STS-41G mission. Sally Ride During Training Session for STS-7 Mission Credit: NASA Astronaut Sally Ride stands outside of the shuttle mission simulator after a training session for the STS-7 mission. Behind the Scenes : TRAINING Imagery Credit: NASA This is a montage of the individual portraits of the 35-member 1978 class of astronaut candidates.

The image was created January 1978. Sally Ride on the Flight Deck Credit: NASA Seen on the flight deck of the space shuttle Challenger, astronaut Sally K. Ride, STS-7 mission specialist, became the first American woman in space on June 18, 1983. STS-7 Shuttle Mission Imagery Credit: NASA Astronaut Sally K. Ride, STS-7 mission specialist, performs a number of functions simultaneously, proving the necessity for versatility and dexterity in space travel. This image was taken on June 21, 1983. Sally Ride With Tools Used on Challenger Credit: NASA Astronaut Sally K. Ride, STS-7 mission specialist, displays the array of tools at her disposal on the mid deck of the Earth-orbiting Space Shuttle Challenger. The image was taken in June 1983. Sally Ride Communicates With Ground Control Credit: NASA Astronaut Sally K. Ride, STS-7 mission specialist, communicates with ground controllers from the mid deck of the Earth-orbiting Space Shuttle Challenger. This image was taken in June 1983. Onboard the Challenger Credit: NASA Astronaut Robert L.

Crippen, STS-7 commander, used a 35mm camera to expose this frame of the four representatives of the "thirty five new guys" onboard the Earth-orbiting Space Shuttle Challenger. This image was taken in JUne 1983. Sally Ride on a T-38 Jet Credit: NASA Astronaut Sally K. Ride, STS-7 mission specialist, takes one last look at familiar training environs before taking off from NASA’s Houston facility in a T-38 jet aircraft, destination: Florida and the Kennedy Space Center (KSC). This image was taken June 15, 1983. Mission Sequence Test Credit: NASA Astronaut Sally K. Ride (left) participates in a mission sequence test in preparation for STS-7, in the Kennedy Space Center’s (KSC) vertical processing facility (VPF). This image was taken May 5, 1983. Pre-launch Activity for STS-6 Credit: NASA Astronaut Sally K.

Ride, mission specialist for STS-7, scheduled for June 1983, records some of the pre-launch activity for STS-6 on 35mm film at the Kennedy Space Center (KSC). This image was taken April 4, 1983. Bag of "Worms" Onboard Credit: NASA Astronauts Kathryn D. Sullivan, left, and Sally K. Ride show off what appears to be a "bag of worms", a product of their creativity. The "bag" is a sleep restraint and the majority of the "worms" are springs and clips used with the sleep restraint in its normal application. This image was taken in October 1984. Sally Ride - the First American Woman in Space Sally Ride Sally Ride The First American Woman in Space A picture of astronaut Sally Ride, the first American woman in space. (Photo courtesy of NASA) By Janet Ogle-Mater, Contributing Writer Updated February 04, 2016. Who Was Sally Ride? Sally Ride became the first American woman in space when she launched from the Kennedy Space Center in Florida on June 18, 1983 on board space shuttle Challenger.

A pioneer of the final frontier, she charted a new course for Americans to follow, not only into the country’s space program, but by inspiring young people, especially girls, to careers in science, math, and engineering. Dates: May 26, 1951 – July 23, 2012 Also Known As: Sally Kristen Ride; Dr. Sally K. Ride Growing Up Sally Ride was born in a suburb of Los Angeles in Encino, California, on May 26, 1951. She was the first child of parents, Carol Joyce Ride (a counselor at the county jail) and Dale Burdell Ride (a political science professor at Santa Monica College). A younger sister, Karen, would add to the Ride family a few years later. Her parents soon recognized, and encouraged, their first daughter’s early athletic prowess. Sally Ride was a sports fan at a young age, reading the sports page by the age of five. continue reading below our video 4 Tips for Improving Test Performance She played baseball and other sports in the neighborhood and was often chosen first for teams.

Throughout her childhood she was an outstanding athlete, which culminated in a tennis scholarship to a prestigious private school in Los Angeles, the Westlake School for Girls. It was there she became captain of the tennis team during her high school years and competed in the national junior tennis circuit, ranking 18th in the semi-pro league. Sports were important to Sally, but so were her academics. She was a good student with a fondness for science and math. Her parents recognized this early interest as well and supplied their young daughter with a chemistry set and telescope. Sally Ride excelled at school and graduated from Westlake School for Girls in 1968. She then enrolled at Stanford University and graduated in 1973 with bachelor degrees in both English and Physics. Becoming an Astronaut In 1977, while Sally Ride was a physics doctoral student at Stanford, the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) conducted a national search for new astronauts and for the first time allowed women to apply, so she did. A year later, Sally Ride was selected, along with five other women and 29 men, as a candidate for NASA’s astronaut program . She received her Ph.D.

in astrophysics that same year, 1978, and began training and evaluation courses for NASA. By the summer of 1979, Sally Ride had completed her astronaut training , which included parachute jumping , water survival, radio communications, and flying jets. She also received a pilot’s license and then became eligible for an assignment as a Mission Specialist in the U.S. Space Shuttle program. During the next four years, Sally Ride would prepare for her first assignment on mission STS-7 (Space Transport System) aboard the space shuttle Challenger. Along with hours of in-classroom instruction learning every aspect of the shuttle, Sally Ride also logged numerous hours in the shuttle simulator. She helped develop the Remote Manipulator System (RMS) , a robotic arm, and became proficient at its use. Ride was the communications officer relaying messages from mission control to the space shuttle crew of the Columbia for the second mission, STS-2, in 1981, and again for the STS-3 mission in 1982. Also in 1982, she married fellow astronaut Steve Hawley .

Sally Ride in Space Sally Ride launched into American history books on June 18, 1983, as the first American women into space when the space shuttle Challenger rocketed into orbit from the Kennedy Space Center in Florida. On board STS-7 were four other astronauts: Captain Robert L. Crippen, the spacecraft commander; Captain Frederick H. Hauck, the pilot; and two other Mission Specialists, Colonel John M. Fabian and Dr. Norman E. Thagard. Sally Ride was in charge of launching and retrieving satellites with the RMS robotic arm, the first time it was used in such an operation on a mission. The five-person crew conducted other maneuvers and completed a number of scientific experiments during their 147 hours in space before landing at Edwards Air Force Base on June 24, 1983, in California. Sixteen months later, on October 5, 1984, Sally Ride rode into space again on the Challenger. Mission STS-41G was the 13th time a shuttle had flown into space and was the first flight with a crew of seven. It also held other firsts for women astronauts. Kathryn (Kate) D.

Sullivan was part of the crew, placing two American women in space for the first time. Additionally, Kate Sullivan became the first woman to conduct a spacewalk, spending over three hours outside the Challenger conducting a satellite refueling demonstration. As before, this mission included the launch of satellites along with scientific experiments and observations of Earth. The second launch for Sally Ride ended on October 13, 1984, in Florida after 197 hours in space. Sally Ride came home to fanfare from both the press and the public. However, she quickly turned her focus to her training. While she was anticipating a third assignment as a member of the crew of STS-61M, tragedy struck the space program. Disaster in Space On January 28, 1986, a seven-person crew, including the first civilian headed to space, teacher Christa McAuliffe , took their seats inside the Challenger. Seconds after lift-off, with thousands of Americans watching, the Challenger exploded into fragments in the air. All seven on board were killed, four of whom were from Sally Ride’s 1977 training class.

This public disaster was a great blow to NASA’s space shuttle program , resulting in grounding of all space shuttles for three years. When President Ronald Reagan called for a federal investigation into the cause of the tragedy, Sally Ride was selected as one of 13 commissioners to take part in the Rogers Commission. Their investigation found the main cause of the explosion was due to the destruction of the seals in the right rocket motor, which allowed hot gases to leak through the joints and weaken the external tank. While the shuttle program was grounded, Sally Ride turned her interest toward NASA’s planning of future missions. She moved to Washington D.C. to NASA headquarters to work in the new Office of Exploration and Office of Strategic Planning as a Special Assistant to the Administrator. Her task was to assist NASA in the development of long-term goals for the space program. Ride became the first Director of the Office of Exploration. Then, in 1987, Sally Ride produced “Leadership and America’s Future in Space: A Report to the Administrator,” commonly known as the Ride Report, detailing suggested future focuses for NASA. Among them were Mars exploration and an outpost on the Moon. That same year, Sally Ride retired from NASA. She also divorced in 1987.

Returning to Academia After leaving NASA, Sally Ride set her sights on a career as a college professor of physics. She returned to Stanford University to complete a postdoc at the Center for International Security and Arms Control. While the Cold War was waning, she studied the banning of nuclear weapons . With her postdoc complete in 1989, Sally Ride accepted a professorship at University of California at San Diego (UCSD) where she not only taught but also researched bow shocks, the shock wave resulting from stellar wind colliding with another medium. She also became the Director of the University of California’s California Space Institute. She was researching and teaching physics at UCSD when another shuttle disaster brought her temporarily back to NASA. Second Space Tragedy When the space shuttle Columbia launched on January 16, 2003, a piece of foam broke off and struck the shuttle’s wing. It wasn’t until the spacecraft’s descent to Earth more than two weeks later on February 1st that trouble caused from the lift-off damage would be known. The shuttle Columbia broke up with its re-entry to the Earth’s atmosphere, killing all seven astronauts aboard the shuttle.

Sally Ride was asked by NASA to join the panel of the Columbia Accident Investigation Board to look into the cause of this second shuttle tragedy. She was the only person to serve on both space shuttle accident investigation commissions. Science and Youth While at UCSD, Sally Ride noted that very few women were taking her physic classes. Wanting to establish a long-term interest and love of science in young children, especially girls, she collaborated with NASA in 1995 on KidSat. The program gave students in American classrooms the opportunity to control a camera on the space shuttle by requesting specific photographs of Earth. Sally Ride obtained the special targets from students and pre-programmed the necessary information and then sent it to NASA for inclusion on the shuttle’s computers, after which the camera would take the designated image and send it back to the classroom for study. After successful runs on space shuttle missions in 1996 and 1997, the name was changed to EarthKAM. A year later the program was installed on the International Space Station where on a typical mission, more than 100 schools participate and 1500 photographs are taken of the Earth and its atmospheric conditions.

With EarthKAM’s success, Sally Ride was bolstered to find other avenues to bring science to youth and the public. As the Internet was growing in everyday use in 1999, she became president of an online company called Space.com, which highlights scientific news for those interested in space. After 15 months with the company, Sally Ride set her sights on a project to specifically encourage girls to seek out careers in science. She put her professorship at UCSD on hold and founded Sally Ride Science in 2001 to develop young girls’ curiosity and encourage their life-long interest in science, engineering, technology, and math. Through space camps, science festivals, books on exciting scientific careers, and innovative classroom materials for teachers, Sally Ride Science continues to inspire young girls, as well as boys, to pursue careers in the field. In addition, Sally Ride co-authored seven books on science education for children. From 2009 to 2012, Sally Ride Science along with NASA initiated another program for the science education for middle school students, GRAIL MoonKAM. Students from around the world select areas on the moon to be photographed by satellites and then the images can be used in the classroom to study the lunar surface.

Legacy of Honors and Awards Sally Ride garnered a number of honors and awards throughout her outstanding career. She was inducted into the National Women’s Hall of Fame (1988), the Astronaut Hall of Fame (2003), the California Hall of Fame (2006), and the Aviation Hall of Fame (2007). Twice she received the NASA Space Flight Award. She was also the recipient of the Jefferson Award for Public Service, Lindberg Eagle, the von Braun Award, NCAA’s Theodore Roosevelt Award, and the National Space Grant Distinguished Service Award. Sally Ride Dies Sally Ride died on July 23, 2012, at the age of 61 after a 17-month battle with pancreatic cancer. It was only after her death that Ride disclosed to the world that she was a lesbian; in an obituary that she co-wrote, Ride revealed her 27-year relationship with partner Tam O’Shaughnessy. Sally Ride, the first American woman in space, left a legacy of science and space exploration for Americans to honor. She also inspired young people, especially girls, across the world to reach for the stars.

Sally Kristen Ride | First American Woman in Space Home: Library: Ride, Sally Kristen “Our future lies with today’s kids and tomorrow’s space exploration.” - DR. SALLY RIDE Sally Kristen Ride First American Woman in Space, 1951 - 2012 Sally Kristen Ride was born on May 26, 1951 in Encino, California (near Los Angeles). Sally started playing tennis at age 10, and became an excellent tennis player. She won a tennis scholarship to Westlake School for Girls in Los Angeles. After graduation in 1968 she attended Swarthmore College, but dropped out to pursue a career in professional tennis. After three months of hard practice, Sally decided she was not good enough to become a successful pro. She quit tennis and enrolled at Stanford University . At 27, with B.A., B.S., and masters' degrees, she was a Ph.D. candidate looking for postdoctoral work in astrophysics when she read about NASA's call for astronauts in the Stanford University paper. More than 8,000 men and women applied to the space program that year. 35 were accepted, six of whom were women.

One was Sally Ride. After joining NASA in 1977 Ride underwent extensive training that included parachute jumping, water survival, gravity and weightlessness training, radio communications and navigation. She enjoyed flight training so much that flying became a favorite hobby. During the second and third flights of the space shuttle Columbia (November 1981 and March 1982), Ride served as communications officer, relaying radio messages from mission control to the shuttle crews. Dr. Ride was also assigned to the team that designed the remote mechanical arm, used by shuttle crews to deploy and retrieve satellites. In 1983, Dr. Sally Ride became the first American woman in space on the shuttle Challenger (STS-7) . Her next flight was an eight-day mission in 1984, again on Challenger (STS 41-G) . Her cumulative hours of space flight are more than 343. Ride was preparing for her third mission when Challenger exploded in 1986. When training was suspended, she was appointed to the Presidential Commission charged with investigating the accident. She moved to NASA headquarters in Washington, D.C., where she became assistant to the NASA administrator for long-range planning.

Ride created NASA's "Office of Exploration" and produced a report on the future of the space program, "Leadership and America's Future in Space." Dr. Ride retired from NASA in 1987 to become a Science Fellow at the Center for International Security and Arms Control at Stanford University. After two years, she was named 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. In June, 1999 Ride joined space.com , a website about the space industry, as Executive Vice President and member of its Board of Directors. In September, 1999 she was named President of the company, a position she held until September, 2000. After leaving space.com, Dr. Ride initiated and headed EarthKAM , an Internet-based NASA project that allows middle-school classes to shoot and download photos of the Earth from space. In 2011, NASA's Gravity Recovery and Interior Laboratory (GRAIL) mission was launched to measure the moon's gravity.

Onboard are MoonKAMs that give classrooms access to pictures of the lunar surface taken from cameras on the spacecraft. Sally Ride Science was founded to provide support for all the girls who are, or might become, interested in science, math and technology. One instrument of this mission is the Sally Ride Club , created for upper elementary and middle school girls across the country. Dr. Ride received numerous awards, including the Jefferson Award for Public Service , the Women's Research and Education Institute's American Woman Award, and twice awarded the National Spaceflight Medal. Dr. Ride was inducted into the Astronaut Hall of Fame at Kennedy Space Center on June 21, 2003. Sally Ride: The first American woman in space | The Independent Sally Ride: The first American woman in space Tuesday 24 July 2012 23:00 BST Click to follow The Independent Online In 1983 Dr Sally Ride, who has died of cancer, became the first American women to journey into space, as part of a five-person crew aboard the Challenger space shuttle. She said of the voyage "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." Sally Ride was born in 1951 in Los Angeles. Her fascination with science began early, with a telescope and chemistry set. After graduating with a degree in Physics and English from Stanford she embarked on a Physics doctorate. It was in 1977, just as she was finishing her PhD, that she saw a Nasa advertisement in the university newspaper, looking for scientists and engineers to join the space programme. Until then most astronauts had been military test pilots, and all had been men. Of the 8,000 who applied, 35 were chosen for astronaut school, including six women. Following a year of initial training, she was selected as a crew member for the second flight in Challenger. This was the beginning of a lifetime's dedication to the US space programme. Recalling her meeting with the Nasa director of the Manned Spacecraft Center in a later interview, she recalled: "The fact that I was going to be the first American woman to go into space carried huge expectations along with it. 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... I was so dazzled to be on the crew and go into space I remembered very little of what he said." The current Chief of the Nasa Astronaut Office, Peggy Whitson, said: "The selection of the 1978 Astronaut Class that included Sally and several other women had a huge impact on my dream to become an astronaut. The success of those woman, with Sally paving the way, made my dream seem one step closer to becoming a reality". On 18 June 1983, when Challenger was launched from the Kennedy Space Center, Ride became the first American woman to go into space. The six-day mission, known as STS-7, carried out scientific experiments and deployed two communication satellites using the robot arm which she had been involved in developing. Her second flight took place the following year, again on Challenger, taking the Earth Radiation Budget Satellite (ERBS) into orbit and carrying out scientific observations of our planet. ERBS would go on to deliver data about the ozone layer over the next two decades, contributing valuable information which was fed into the Montreal Protocol and the subsequent elimination of ozone-damaging chlorofluorocarbons.

Ride was due to fly again on the space shuttle in July 1986 but when Challenger exploded after take-off in January of that year, and flights were suspended, her space-travelling career came to an end. She was subsequently involved in investigating this and the later 2003 Columbia accident; the Challenger disaster prompted Nasa to reflect on the future of its space programmes. Ride began work on a Nasa-commissioned project which led to the report Leadership and America's Future in Space (1987). She examined four key areas: Mission to Planet Earth – exploration and research on our own planet; Exploration of the Solar System; Outpost on the Moon, envisaging a lunar space station; and Humans to Mars, which she considered "...a great national adventure; as such, it would require a concentrated massive national commitment – a commitment to a goal and its supporting science, technology, and infrastructure for many decades." In this report she had the courage and vision to outline plans for what would have been considered science fiction a few decades earlier. On retiring from Nasa in 1987, Ride used her high profile to inspire girls and young women to become scientifically literate and to pursue careers in engineering and science.

She became a fellow at Stanford's Center for International Security and Arms Control and a director of the California Space Institute. Over the last decade she had established the company Sally Ride Science, and co-wrote seven books, several of them with her partner, Tamara O'Shaughnessy. Sally Ride, astronaut and space scientist: born Los Angeles 26 May 1951; married 1982 Steven Hawley (divorced 1987), partner to Tamara O'Shaughnessy since 1985; died La Jolla, California 23 July 2012. More about: Sally Ride, First American Woman In Space, Is Dead | KUER Sally Ride, First American Woman In Space, Is Dead By editor • Jul 23, 2012 Related Program: Ride and her crewmates rocketed into space aboard Challenger at 7:33 a.m. Eastern Time on June 18, 1983.

Ride later described the launch as "exhilarating, terrifying and overwhelming all at the same time." NASA Some of NASA's first female astronaut candidates take a break from training in Florida in 1978. From left: Sally Ride, Judith Resnik, Anna Fisher, Kathryn Sullivan and Rhea Seddon NASA Ride floats near Challenger's hatch. NASA Ride inside the control room during a simulation of a shuttle flight in 1981. NASA Astronaut Sally K. Ride, STS-7 mission specialist, communicates with ground controllers from the mid-deck of the earth-orbiting Space Shuttle Challenger in June 1983. AP / Originally published on July 23, 2012 5:42 pm In 1983, Sally Ride became the first American woman in space. She blasted off aboard Challenger, culminating a long journey that started in 1977 when the Ph.D. candidate answered an ad seeking astronauts for NASA missions. In a lecture she gave at Berkeley , Ride said she saw the ad on Page 3 of the student newspaper. "The moment I saw that ad, I knew that's what I wanted to do," she said.

Ride died today in La Jolla, Calif., after a 17-month battle with pancreatic cancer, her company said on its website . She was 61. According to her official biography, by the time Ride decided to apply to become an astronaut, she had already received degrees in physics and English and was on her way to a Ph.D. in physics from Stanford University. According to her NASA biography , Ride went back into space in October of 1984. She was assigned to another mission after that, but it was scrapped after the shuttle Challenger disaster in 1986. Steve Inskeep spoke to Ride after the Columbia disaster in 2003. She said despite the tragedies humans would continue their exploration. "Studying whether there's life on Mars or studying how the universe began, there's something magical about pushing back the frontiers of knowledge," she said. "That's something that is almost part of being human and I'm certain that will continue." Ride served on the presidential commission investigating the Challenger accident. After a stint as a professor of physics at the University of California, San Diego, Ride founded Sally Ride Science.

As NASA puts it, the company allowed her to "pursue her long-time passion of motivating girls and young women to pursue careers in science, math and technology." Ride was born in Encino, Calif., on May 26, 1951. Karen O'Connor, who chronicled her early life in Sally Ride and the New Astronauts, described her as a "tomboy," racing her father for the sports section of the newspaper when she was 5 years old. Becoming an astronaut had a bit to do with luck. The same year she started job hunting, NASA opened up its space program to women. "Sally Ride broke barriers with grace and professionalism – and literally changed the face of America's space program," NASA Administrator Charles Bolden said in a statement. "The nation has lost one of its finest leaders, teachers and explorers. Our thoughts and prayers are with Sally's family and the many she inspired. She will be missed, but her star will always shine brightly." In an interview with NASA celebrating the 25th anniversary of her flight, Ride described the awesomeness of space. "When the space shuttle's engines cut off, and you're finally in space, in orbit, weightless ...

I remember unstrapping from my seat, floating over to the window, and that's when I got my first view of Earth. Just a spectacular view, and a chance to see our planet as a planet," she said. "I could see coral reefs off the coast of Australia. A huge storm swirling in the ocean. I could see an enormous dust storm building over northern Africa ... just unbelievable sights." Ride is survived by Tam O'Shaughnessy, her partner of 27 years, her mother, Joyce; her sister, Bear; her niece, Caitlin; and her nephew, Whitney. Update at 7:08 p.m. ET. Inspiring Young Women: All Things Considered's Audie Cornish just spoke to Capt. Bob Crippen, the crew commander on Ride's historic mission. He said that among great women, Ride emerged as one of the best. She didn't seem like the type to go after breaking barriers, he said, but she did. "[She] proved that young women could do anything they wanted to do," Crippen said. We'll add audio of the full conversation at the top of this post in a little bit. Update at 6:25 p.m. ET.

The First Woman: In its obituary , NASA quotes Ride remembering that first flight. She said everyone knew as soon as she was selected for the crew that she would be the first American woman in space. She said there were "huge expectations" with that role, so she was taken to the office of then-NASA Flight Director Chris Kraft. "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," Ride said. Copyright 2013 NPR. To see more, visit Transcript AUDIE CORNISH, HOST: Finally, this hour, we remember Sally Ride, the first American woman in space. She died today at age 61 after a long battle with pancreatic cancer. On June 18, 1983, Sally Ride made history, blasting into space on the Challenger shuttle. UNIDENTIFIED MAN: ...eight, seven, six - we go for main engine start. We have main engine start and the ignition and lift off. Lift off of STS-7 and America's first woman astronaut. And the shuttle has pulled the power.

CORNISH: Captain Bob Crippen was her crew commander on that flight. Bob Crippen, welcome to the program. CAPTAIN BOB CRIPPEN: Thank you. CORNISH: First, I want to offer my condolences. And if you could tell us a little bit about Sally Ride. I know she was a member of the first class of astronauts to accept women in 1978. Did she talk to you about what that was like? CRIPPEN: Well, we had six women that were selected in 1978 to join the astronaut office, and Sally was one of the best on that group, although they were all great. I had a chance to work with her for several years, until I have a chance to command a flight and I thought she'd be the perfect person to go fly with me. CORNISH: Did you ever get the sense that she felt like she was breaking barriers? CRIPPEN: Sally was not the kind of person that, I guess, would seem to go breaking barriers, but she obviously did. She broke through a lot of glass ceilings with that first shuttle flight and proved that young women could do anything they wanted to. And I was very proud of her.

After she left NASA, she continued to go out and inspire young women to get - become interested in science and engineering, and that's something they tend to shy away from. But she was certainly a role model that - I believe she inspired a lot of young women. CORNISH: And, of course, Sally Ride, by the time she went into space, she'd already earned a Ph.D. in physics. Tell us a little bit more about her personality. CRIPPEN: Well, she was very personal, easy to get along with, fun to be with, and she fits right in with the crew. And she'd work like anybody would and molded well with the crew, which was important to me, that's one of the reasons I've selected her. Because when you go fly in space with a small group, it's important that everybody can work well together, and Sally certainly fit that model. CORNISH: I've heard that. Obviously, astronauts spend a lot of time together. And I've also heard that sort of different personalities between astronauts who may be are rooted in being pilots versus those rooted in the sciences. What were some of the, I guess, personality traits that made her a good partner up in space?

CRIPPEN: Well, she could work with the team. That was the main thing. She didn't try to stand out; she tried to blend in. And that was what was important to me. CORNISH: Bob Crippen, thank you so much for speaking with us. CRIPPEN: It's my pleasure. Thank you. CORNISH: That's Captain Bob Crippen. He spoke to us about Sally Ride. The astronaut died today at age 61. (SOUNDBITE OF MUSIC) 1000+ images about Wax museum on Pinterest | Astronaut costume, First female astronaut and Costumes Forward Dr. Sally Ride (May 26, 1951 - July 23, 2012) was an American physicist, children's author, & astronaut, who at the age of 32, became the first woman in space. Ride is the youngest person to have been in space, she founded the Sally Ride Science company, and co-authored six children's science books with her life-partner, Tam O'Shaughnessy. See: 1983 Challenger Space Mission.

See More Sally Ride Dead: First American Woman In Space Dies At 61 | The Huffington Post Sally Ride Dead: First American Woman In Space Dies At 61 07/23/2012 05:53 pm ET | Updated Jul 24, 2012 8.4k AP/The Huffington Post Sally Ride, the first American woman to travel into space, died Monday at the age of 61, the Associated Press reported . The cause of death was pancreatic cancer , according to a statement posted on the website of Sally Ride Science, a science education company she founded in 2001. She had been battling the disease for 17 months. SCROLL DOWN FOR FULL OBITUARY FROM THE ASSOCIATED PRESS On June 18, 1983, Ride became the first American woman to fly in space when she blasted off on the Challenger as part of the STS-7 crew, according to NASA. She flew her second shuttle mission on October 5, 1984, again aboard the Challenger. That mission, STS-41G, was the first shuttle crew to include two women .

After she retired from NASA in 1987, Ride became a member of the faculty of the University of California, San Diego and the California Space Institute, according to a statement posted to Sally Ride Science . According to its website, Sally Ride Science is "dedicated to supporting girls’ and boys’ interests in science, math and technology." Ride is survived by her partner Tam O’Shaughnessy, as well as her mother, sister, niece and nephew. From Seth Borenstein and Alicia Chang at the Associated Press: LOS ANGELES — Space used to be a man's world. Then came Sally Ride, who blazed a cosmic trail into orbit for U.S. women. With a pitch perfect name out of a pop song refrain, she joined the select club of American space heroes the public knew by heart: Shepard, Glenn, Armstrong and Aldrin. Ride, the first American woman in orbit, died Monday at her home in the San Diego community of La Jolla at age 61 of pancreatic cancer, according to her company, Sally Ride Science. Ride flew into space on the space shuttle Challenger on June 18, 1983, when she was 32.

Since then, 42 other American women followed her into space. "Sally was a national hero and a powerful role model. She inspired generations of young girls to reach for the stars," President Barack Obama said in a statement. When shuttles started flying frequently with crews of six or seven, astronauts became plentiful and anonymous. Not Ride. "People around the world still recognize her name as the first American woman in space, and she took that title seriously even after departing NASA," Eileen Collins, the first female space shuttle commander, said in a statement. "She never sought media attention for herself, but rather focused on doing her normally outstanding job." When Ride first launched into space, feminist icons such as Gloria Steinem and Jane Fonda were at Kennedy Space Center and many wore T-shirts alluding to the pop song with the refrain of the same name: "Ride, Sally Ride." NASA Administrator Charles Bolden, a former astronaut, said Ride "broke barriers with grace and professionalism – and literally changed the face of America's space program." "The nation has lost one of its finest leaders, teachers and explorers," he said in a statement.

Ride was a physicist, writer of five science books for children and president of her own company, which motivates youngsters to pursue careers in science, technology, engineering and math. She had also been a professor of physics at the University of California, San Diego. In 1978, NASA included women in the astronaut corps, selecting Ride and five other women to join the club, which had been dominated by male military test pilots. Ride beat out fellow astronaut candidates to be the first American female in space. Her first flight came two decades after the Soviets sent a woman into space and less than a year after a second Soviet woman flew. "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 recalled in a NASA interview for the 25th anniversary of her flight in 2008.

"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." Ride flew in space twice, both times on Challenger, in 1983 and on October 5, 1984, logging 343 hours in space. A third flight was cancelled when Challenger exploded in 1986. She was on the commission investigating that accident and later served on the panel for the 2003 Columbia shuttle accident, the only person on both boards. She also was on the president's committee of science advisers. The 20th anniversary of her first flight also coincided with the loss of Columbia, a bittersweet time for Ride, who discussed it in a 2003 interview with The Associated Press. She acknowledged it was depressing to spend the anniversary investigating the accident, which killed seven astronauts. "But in another sense, it's rewarding because it's an opportunity to be part of the solution and part of the changes that will occur and will make the program better," she said.

Later in the interview, she focused on science education and talked about "being a role model and being very visible." "She was very smart," said former astronaut Norman Thagard, who was on Ride's first flight. "We did have a good time." It was all work on that first flight, except for a first-in-space sprint around the inside of the shuttle, Thagard recalled in a phone interview Monday. He didn't know who won. Born on May 26, 1951, in Los Angeles' San Fernando Valley, Ride became fascinated with science early on, playing with a chemistry kit and telescope. She also excelled in tennis and competed in national junior tournaments. She earned bachelor's degrees in physics and English from Stanford University in 1973 and a master's in 1975. She saw an ad in the student newspaper calling for scientists and engineers to apply to become astronauts and was chosen in 1978, the same year she earned her doctorate in physics from Stanford. Ride was married to fellow astronaut Steve Hawley from 1982 to 1987. Hawley said Ride was never fully comfortable being in the spotlight.

"While she never enjoyed being a celebrity, she recognized that it gave her the opportunity to encourage children, particularly young girls, to reach their full potential," Hawley said in a statement released by NASA. One of Ride's last legacies was allowing middle school students to take their own pictures of the moon using cameras aboard NASA's twin Grail spacecraft in a project spearheaded by her company. "Sally literally could have done anything with her life. She decided to devote her life to education and to inspiring young people. To me, that's such a powerful thing. It's extraordinarily admirable," said Maria Zuber, a professor at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology who heads the Grail mission. Ride's office said she is survived by Tam O'Shaughnessy, her partner of 27 years and a co-founder of Sally Ride Science; her mother, Joyce; her sister, Bear, a niece; and a nephew. Also on HuffPost: Sally Ride - First American Woman in Space Sally Ride Sally Ride First American Woman in Space Astronaut Sally K. Ride, mission specialist for STS-7, responds to a question from an interviewer during a taping session for ABC's Night Line. Dr.

Ride is in the shuttle mockup and integration laboratory. Courtesy NASA Johnson Space Center (NASA-JSC) Occupation: astronaut, scientist , physicist, writer Dates: May 26 , 1951 - July 23, 2012 Also known as: Sally K. Ride, Sally Kristen Ride, Sally Kirsten Ride, Mrs. Steven A. Hawley Sally Ride Biography: A California native, Sally Ride studied physics and English at Stanford University. She had been a nationally ranked tennis player, and began her college career at Swarthmore, but chose science and college -- and warmer California -- over a tennis career. Applying to NASA's training program for astronauts on an impulse in 1978, Sally Ride became one of six women of 35 trainees chosen. She was a capsule communicator at mission control for the second shuttle mission. Sally Ride was chosen as a member of the space shuttle's seventh mission in 1982. Some of the astronaut veterans and trainers supported her and the other women, some were opposed to women becoming astronauts. She worked as part of the earthside team for STS-2 and STS-3.

continue reading below our video Test Your General Science Knowledge Sally Ride became the first American woman in orbit when the space shuttle Challenger on mission STS-7 took off on June 18 , 1983. Valentina Tereshkova and Svetlana Savitskaya had made it into space in missions in 1963 and 1982, as Soviet cosmonauts, but America's first woman in space was still a major phenomenon, with much interest in the press and among the public. She appeared in many interviews, though she refused to appear on the Tonight Show hosted by Johnny Carson because she didn't like how women were treated on that show. She was a symbol of gender equality and the breaking of a glass ceiling , but more than that, she was a believer in women's equality. Sally Ride later flew, also on the Challenger, on the thirteenth space shuttle flight; on that flight, Ride's friend and member of her training cohort, Kathryn Sullivan, became the first American woman to walk in space. Sullivan later became US Under Secretary of Commerce for Oceans and Atmosphere.

Sally Ride was in training for a third shuttle mission when the space shuttle Challenger exploded in January, 1986, with its crew aboard. Four members of the crew, including Judith Resnik, had been part of Sally Ride's cohort in training. Ride was appointed to the Presidential Commission investigating the accident, the only astronaut on that commission. She then worked for NASA's administration, creating the Office of Exploration and producing a report on the space program's future. (Other women members of Ride's training cohort, Anna Lee Fisher, Margaret Rhea Seddon and Shannon Lucid, also made their mark in the space program.) Briefly married to a fellow astronaut, Steve Hawley, Sally Ride left NASA in 1987, teaching physics first at Stanford then at the University of California, San Diego. Ride's partner, Tam O'Shaughnessy, was a professor, professional tennis player and science writer. They co-founded the company, Sally Ride Science. Sally Ride has written several books, including for children, often with Tam O'Shaughnessy. In 1992, she was a member of the transtion team for president-elect Bill Clinton.

Sally Ride was president of the website Space.com for a year, 1999-2000. She died on July 23, 2012, of pancreatic cancer. She was 61 years old. Family: Mother: Carol Joyce (Anderson) Ride Father: Dale Burdell Ride Husband: Steve Hawley (married 1982; divorced 1986) Partner: Tam O’Shaughnessy (since 1986) Education: Stanford University: B.S. Physics and B.A. English, 1973; Ph.D. astrophysics, 1978 Bibliography: Ride, Sally and Tam O'Shaughnessy. The Mystery of Mars. 1999. Fiction, ages 9-12. Ride, Sally and Susan Okie. To Space and Back.1986. Ages 9-12. Camp, Carole Ann. Sally Ride: First American Woman in Space. Age: young adult. Hopping, Lorraine Jean. Sally Ride: Space Pioneer. 2000. Ages 9-12.

Hurwitz, Jane and Sue Hurwitz. Sally Ride: Shooting for the Stars. 1989. Ages 9-12. Stott, Carole. Into the Unknown. Verheyden-Hilliard, Mary E. Scientist and Astronaut: Sally Ride.1985. Ages 9-12. More About Sally Ride: Sally Ride, First American Woman In Space, Is Dead | WKAR Sally Ride, First American Woman In Space, Is Dead By editor • Jul 23, 2012 Related Programs: Ride and her crewmates rocketed into space aboard Challenger at 7:33 a.m. Eastern Time on June 18, 1983. Ride later described the launch as "exhilarating, terrifying and overwhelming all at the same time." NASA Some of NASA's first female astronaut candidates take a break from training in Florida in 1978. From left: Sally Ride, Judith Resnik, Anna Fisher, Kathryn Sullivan and Rhea Seddon NASA Ride floats near Challenger's hatch. NASA Ride inside the control room during a simulation of a shuttle flight in 1981. NASA Astronaut Sally K.

Ride, STS-7 mission specialist, communicates with ground controllers from the mid-deck of the earth-orbiting Space Shuttle Challenger in June 1983. AP / Originally published on July 23, 2012 7:42 pm In 1983, Sally Ride became the first American woman in space. She blasted off aboard Challenger, culminating a long journey that started in 1977 when the Ph.D. candidate answered an ad seeking astronauts for NASA missions. In a lecture she gave at Berkeley , Ride said she saw the ad on Page 3 of the student newspaper. "The moment I saw that ad, I knew that's what I wanted to do," she said. Ride died today in La Jolla, Calif., after a 17-month battle with pancreatic cancer, her company said on its website . She was 61. According to her official biography, by the time Ride decided to apply to become an astronaut, she had already received degrees in physics and English and was on her way to a Ph.D. in physics from Stanford University. According to her NASA biography , Ride went back into space in October of 1984.

She was assigned to another mission after that, but it was scrapped after the shuttle Challenger disaster in 1986. Steve Inskeep spoke to Ride after the Columbia disaster in 2003. She said despite the tragedies humans would continue their exploration. "Studying whether there's life on Mars or studying how the universe began, there's something magical about pushing back the frontiers of knowledge," she said. "That's something that is almost part of being human and I'm certain that will continue." Ride served on the presidential commission investigating the Challenger accident. After a stint as a professor of physics at the University of California, San Diego, Ride founded Sally Ride Science. As NASA puts it, the company allowed her to "pursue her long-time passion of motivating girls and young women to pursue careers in science, math and technology." Ride was born in Encino, Calif., on May 26, 1951. Karen O'Connor, who chronicled her early life in Sally Ride and the New Astronauts, described her as a "tomboy," racing her father for the sports section of the newspaper when she was 5 years old. Becoming an astronaut had a bit to do with luck.

The same year she started job hunting, NASA opened up its space program to women. "Sally Ride broke barriers with grace and professionalism – and literally changed the face of America's space program," NASA Administrator Charles Bolden said in a statement. "The nation has lost one of its finest leaders, teachers and explorers. Our thoughts and prayers are with Sally's family and the many she inspired. She will be missed, but her star will always shine brightly." In an interview with NASA celebrating the 25th anniversary of her flight, Ride described the awesomeness of space. "When the space shuttle's engines cut off, and you're finally in space, in orbit, weightless ... I remember unstrapping from my seat, floating over to the window, and that's when I got my first view of Earth. Just a spectacular view, and a chance to see our planet as a planet," she said. "I could see coral reefs off the coast of Australia. A huge storm swirling in the ocean. I could see an enormous dust storm building over northern Africa ...

just unbelievable sights." Ride is survived by Tam O'Shaughnessy, her partner of 27 years, her mother, Joyce; her sister, Bear; her niece, Caitlin; and her nephew, Whitney. Update at 7:08 p.m. ET. Inspiring Young Women: All Things Considered's Audie Cornish just spoke to Capt. Bob Crippen, the crew commander on Ride's historic mission. He said that among great women, Ride emerged as one of the best. She didn't seem like the type to go after breaking barriers, he said, but she did. "[She] proved that young women could do anything they wanted to do," Crippen said. We'll add audio of the full conversation at the top of this post in a little bit. Update at 6:25 p.m. ET. The First Woman: In its obituary , NASA quotes Ride remembering that first flight. She said everyone knew as soon as she was selected for the crew that she would be the first American woman in space. She said there were "huge expectations" with that role, so she was taken to the office of then-NASA Flight Director Chris Kraft.

"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," Ride said. Copyright 2013 NPR. To see more, visit Transcript AUDIE CORNISH, HOST: Finally, this hour, we remember Sally Ride, the first American woman in space. She died today at age 61 after a long battle with pancreatic cancer. On June 18, 1983, Sally Ride made history, blasting into space on the Challenger shuttle. UNIDENTIFIED MAN: ...eight, seven, six - we go for main engine start. We have main engine start and the ignition and lift off. Lift off of STS-7 and America's first woman astronaut. And the shuttle has pulled the power. CORNISH: Captain Bob Crippen was her crew commander on that flight. Bob Crippen, welcome to the program. CAPTAIN BOB CRIPPEN: Thank you. CORNISH: First, I want to offer my condolences. And if you could tell us a little bit about Sally Ride.

I know she was a member of the first class of astronauts to accept women in 1978. Did she talk to you about what that was like? CRIPPEN: Well, we had six women that were selected in 1978 to join the astronaut office, and Sally was one of the best on that group, although they were all great. I had a chance to work with her for several years, until I have a chance to command a flight and I thought she'd be the perfect person to go fly with me. CORNISH: Did you ever get the sense that she felt like she was breaking barriers? CRIPPEN: Sally was not the kind of person that, I guess, would seem to go breaking barriers, but she obviously did. She broke through a lot of glass ceilings with that first shuttle flight and proved that young women could do anything they wanted to. And I was very proud of her. After she left NASA, she continued to go out and inspire young women to get - become interested in science and engineering, and that's something they tend to shy away from. But she was certainly a role model that - I believe she inspired a lot of young women.

CORNISH: And, of course, Sally Ride, by the time she went into space, she'd already earned a Ph.D. in physics. Tell us a little bit more about her personality. CRIPPEN: Well, she was very personal, easy to get along with, fun to be with, and she fits right in with the crew. And she'd work like anybody would and molded well with the crew, which was important to me, that's one of the reasons I've selected her. Because when you go fly in space with a small group, it's important that everybody can work well together, and Sally certainly fit that model. CORNISH: I've heard that. Obviously, astronauts spend a lot of time together. And I've also heard that sort of different personalities between astronauts who may be are rooted in being pilots versus those rooted in the sciences. What were some of the, I guess, personality traits that made her a good partner up in space? CRIPPEN: Well, she could work with the team. That was the main thing. She didn't try to stand out; she tried to blend in. And that was what was important to me.

CORNISH: Bob Crippen, thank you so much for speaking with us. CRIPPEN: It's my pleasure. Thank you. CORNISH: That's Captain Bob Crippen. He spoke to us about Sally Ride. The astronaut died today at age 61. (SOUNDBITE OF MUSIC)

Question: A current member of the staff at Stanford, who became the first American woman in space on June 18, 1983?
Answer: Sally Ride