June 18, 2018
One Giant Leap for WOMANkind
On June 18, 1983, Sally Ride became the 1st American woman in space.
“When I was a little girl, I dreamed of flying in space. Amazingly enough, and I still can’t believe it, that dream came true. And through hard work and a good education, all of you will reach for the stars and that dream will come true for you.”
Sally Ride at the 2002 Sally Ride Science Club's Boston Science Festival
About Dr. Sally Ride:
- Born in 1951 in Los Angeles.
- Earned bachelor’s, master’s & a Ph.D. in physics from Stanford.
- Founded the Sally Ride Science Club in 2001 to encourage girls to pursue careers in math & science.
- Named into the Astronauts Hall of Fame in 2003 & awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom in 2013, a year after her death.
WOMEN IN SPACE
According to NASA, there have been at least 71 female astronauts in the history of space exploration.
- Ride was the THIRD woman in space.
- The first two were Soviet cosmonauts.
Ride was a huge STEM advocate education. In 2010, she helped found the Change the Education initiative, a CEO-led effort to raise student engagement and improve education in science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM).
- Sally Ride tells girls about career as astronaut at MIT event:
news.mit.edu/2002/sally-0925 - Sally Ride — astronaut and STEM education advocate:
https://engineering.stanford.edu/about/heroes/sally-ride - Women in Space:
https://history.nasa.gov/women.html - USPS Releases New Stamp Honoring Sally Ride, First American Woman In Space:
https://www.forbes.com/sites/jesseshanahan/2018/05/23/usps-releases-new-stamp-honoring-sally-ride-first-american-woman-in-space/#5653ea7e5c67
by Jenna Lee,
