Sally Kristen Ride | |
|---|---|
 Ride in 1984 | |
| Born | Sally Kristen Ride May 26, 1951 Los Angeles, California, U.S. |
| Died | July 23, 2012 (aged 61) La Jolla, California, U.S. |
| Cause of death | Pancreatic cancer |
| Nationality | American |
| Education |
|
| Occupation | Physicist |
| Spouse(s) | Steven Hawley (m. 1982–1987; divorced) |
| Partner(s) | Tam O'Shaughnessy (1985–2012; Ride's death) |
| Parents |
|
| Relatives | Karen "Bear" Ride (sister) |
| Space career | |
| NASA astronaut | |
Time in space | 14d 07h 46m |
| Selection | 1978 NASA Group |
| Missions | STS-7, STS-41-G |
Mission insignia |   |
| Retirement | August 15, 1987 |
Sally Kristen Ride (May 26, 1951 – July 23, 2012) was an American physicist and astronaut. Born in Los Angeles, she joined NASA in 1978 and became the first American woman in space in 1983. She remains the youngest American astronaut to have traveled to space, having done so at the age of 32.[1][2] After flying twice on the Orbiter Challenger, she left NASA in 1987. She worked for two years at Stanford University's Center for International Security and Arms Control, then at the University of California, San Diego as a professor of physics, primarily researching nonlinear optics and Thomson scattering. She served on the committees that investigated the Challenger and Columbia space shuttle disasters, the only person to participate on both.[3][4]
- ^ "Kennedy Space Center FAQ". NASA/Kennedy Space Center External Relations and Business Development Directorate. Retrieved July 23, 2012.
- ^ "10 fascinating things about Astronaut Sally Ride you must know". news.biharprabha.com. 26 May 2015. Retrieved 26 May 2015.
- ^ Grady, Denise (July 23, 2012). "Obituary: American Woman Who Shattered Space Ceiling". The New York Times. Retrieved July 27, 2012.
- ^ See Rogers Commission Report and Columbia Accident Investigation Board