Sally Ride

Biography

Sally Kristen Ride was a trailblazing American astronaut and physicist born in Los Angeles in 1951. She joined NASA in 1978 and became the first American woman to fly in space in 1983, at just 32 years old, aboard the Space Shuttle Challenger. A graduate of Stanford University, Ride also conducted groundbreaking research on the interaction of X-rays with the interstellar medium.