Sally Ride
May 26, 1951-July 23, 2012
Nationally ranked tennis player
Physics degree from Stanford
Joined NASA in 1978
First American woman in space 1983, was also the youngest American in space (at the time)
Helped develop the Shuttle's robot arm and was the first woman to operate said arm in space
She spent a total 343 hours in space
She served on the presidential commission investigating the Shuttle Challenger accident
Led NASA's first strategic planning effort
Founded NASA's Office of Exploration
She left NASA and worked at Stanford for a while before becoming a physics professor at the University of California and the Director of the California Space Institute.
She then gave her talents and wisdom back to our Nation to serve on the Space Shuttle Columbia Accident Investigation Board.
President and CEO of Sally Ride Science
What..a gal!
God Bless you Sally! We'll miss you. Enjoy being home.
She was quite an interesting lady and role model. Amazing, really. ;)
She was an inspiration to many! Thanks, Sally.