Astronaut Sally Ride died 23 July 2012, after a 17-month battle with pancreatic cancer. Born 26 May 1951 in Los Angeles, California, she was the first American woman (and third woman) in space, when she served as a Mission Specialist on STS-7 (18-24 June 1983), Challenger‘s second spaceflight. (She was preceded into space by Soviet female cosmonauts Valentina Tereshkova in 1963 and Svetlana Savitskaya in 1982.) [Photo at right by NASA: Sally Ride monitors control panels from the pilot’s chair on the flight deck of Challenger aboard STS-7.]
Ride earned a bachelor’s degree in English and physics from Stanford University, and then a master’s and Ph.D. in physics. In 1978, she applied to and joined NASA. She served as Capsule Communicator (CapCom) for the second and third Space Shuttle flights (STS-2 and STS-3) and helped develop the Space Shuttle’s robot arm.
Her second space flight was STS-41G, also aboard Challenger (5-13 October 1984). Ride left NASA in 1989 to join the faculty at the University of California, San Diego, as a professor of physics and director of the University of California’s California Space Institute. In 2001, she founded her own company, Sally Ride Science, to pursue her long-time passion of motivating girls and young women to pursue careers in science, math and technology.
Ride also served on the investigative boards for the loss of Challenger (in 1986) and Columbia (in 2003), and she was a member of the commission that laid out space policy options for the Obama administration in 2009.
In a 2008 interview, she acknowledged that her status as the first American woman in space “carried huge expectations along with it. 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,” she said.
President Barack Obama released the following statement: “Michelle and I were deeply saddened to hear about the passing of Sally Ride. As the first American woman to travel into space, Sally was a national hero and a powerful role model. She inspired generations of young girls to reach for the stars and later fought tirelessly to help them get there by advocating for a greater focus on science and math in our schools. Sally’s life showed us that there are no limits to what we can achieve and I have no doubt that her legacy will endure for years to come. Our thoughts and prayers go out to Sally’s family and friends.”
Ride was married to fellow astronaut Steven Hawley from 1982 to 1987. Hawley, now a professor of physics and astronomy at the University of Kansas at Lawrence, issued the following statement through NASA: “Sally was a very private person who found herself a very public persona. It was a role in which she was never fully comfortable. I was privileged to be a part of her life and be in a position to support her as she became the first American woman to fly in space.
“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.
“Sally Ride, the astronaut and the person, allowed many young girls across the world to believe they could achieve anything if they studied and worked hard. I think she would be pleased with that legacy.”
NASA Administrator Charles Bolden said: “Sally 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. 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.”
NASA Deputy Administrator Lori Garver said: “Sally was a personal and professional role model to me and thousands of women around the world. Her spirit and determination will continue to be an inspiration for women everywhere.”
Ride is survived by her partner of 27 years, Tam O’Shaughnessy, who is the chief operating officer and executive vice president for content at Sally Ride Science. Other survivors include her mother, Joyce; her sister, Bear; her niece, Caitlin; and her nephew, Whitney.