On this day in 1983, astronaut Sally Ride became the first American woman in space aboard the Space Shuttle Challenger for NASA’s 7th space shuttle mission.
Sally Ride / U.S. National Archives and Records Administration
Ride was born on May 26, 1951 to Dale Burdell Ride and Carol Joyce Anderson in Encino, California. Her path to NASA began when she responded to an advertisement in the Stanford student newspaper for NASA’s Astronaut Group 8. It would be the first time female applicants would be accepted. Of the group of 35 individuals selected, Ride was one of six women chosen to join the program.
On June 18, 1983, Ride made history as the first American woman to go into space as a crew member aboard the space shuttle Challenger. At the age of 32, she was also the youngest American to have traveled into space. She would make two trips into space, paving the way for future generations of female astronauts.
Ride passed away on July 23, 2012 at the age of 61.
View Sally Ride’s Geni Profile
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Source: Geni.com
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