Sally Ride

Sally Ride was an American astronaut and physicist who became the first American woman in space when she flew aboard the Space Shuttle Challenger in 1983. Born on May 26, 1951, in Los Angeles, California, she earned a Ph.D. in physics from Stanford University before joining NASA in 1978 as part of the agency’s first group of female astronauts.

Her historic flight on STS-7 made her a national icon and a symbol of women's progress in science and space exploration. After leaving NASA, she became a professor and advocate for science education, founding Sally Ride Science to inspire young people — especially girls — to pursue careers in STEM. She passed away from pancreatic cancer in 2012 at the age of 61.