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Home > Faces of Title IX > Meet the Faces of Title IX > Sally Ride, first American woman astronaut to go into space

Sally Ride, first American woman astronaut to go into space

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Sally Ride, first American woman astronaut to go into space, is a hero and role model to girls and women throughout the country.  And though it might be easy to imagine that when she was growing up she "always wanted to be an astronaut," her versatility has enabled her to take a number of unusual turns. 

Born on May 26, 1951 in California, Sally Kristen Ride was brought up in a home where she was encouraged to be her best, no matter which path she took.  She started playing tennis at age 10 and dreamed of becoming a professional. Following a tennis scholarship to Westlake School for Girls in Los Angeles, in 1968 she attended Swarthmore College. She dropped out to pursue her career in tennis, but soon realized she did not have the talent to become a pro. She turned her attention towards her education, enrolling at Stanford University. When she was 27, she graduated with degrees in physics and English.  She continued her studies in physics, eventually earning a Ph.D. in astrophysics. 

Unexpectedly, Dr. Ride followed a unique direction in her career.  In 1977, she read an announcement that NASA was looking for young scientists and technicians who could monitor the complex technology of the space shuttle. She applied. Eight thousand people responded to the announcement; 1,000 of them were women. Of the 35 who were finally accepted, six were women. Among them, of course, was Sally Ride.
 
In 1983, Dr. Sally Ride became the first American woman in space.  She served as mission specialist on the six-day Challenger mission. Her next flight was for eight days
in 1984, again on Challenger. During her missions, she clocked more than 343 cumulative hours of space flight. In 1986, she faced what might have been her most difficult job, serving on the presidential commission investigating the Challenger explosion.
 
Dr. Ride retired from NASA in 1987, redirecting her career and becoming 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, pursuing one of her deepest commitments -- to encourage young women to study science and math.
 
Towards this end, Dr. Ride started Imaginary Lines, an organization founded to provide support for all the girls who are, or might become, interested in science, math and technology. The mission of Sally Ride ScienceTM is to increase the number of girls who are technically literate and who have the foundation they need to go on in science, math, or engineering. One instrument of this mission is the Sally Ride Club, created for upper elementary and middle school girls across the country. 
 
Dr. Ride's unique trajectory is reflected by the variety of awards bestowed on her, including the Jefferson Award for Public Service, the Women's Research and Education Institute's American Woman Award, the NCAA Theodore Roosevelt Award, and the twice-awarded National Spaceflight Medal.  Dr. Ride was inducted into the Astronaut Hall of Fame at Kennedy Space Center on June 21, 2003.
 
Today Dr. Ride continues to inspire other girls and women to acquire the education they need and to follow their dreams -- just her parents encouraged her.