Ride, Sally (1951–)

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Ride, Sally (1951–)

American astronaut. Born Sally Kristen Ride, May 26, 1951, at Los Angeles, California; dau. of Dr. Dale Ride (educator) and Joyce (Anderson) Ride (counselor); attended Swarthmore College, 1968–1970; Stanford University, BS and BA, 1973, MS, 1975, PhD, 1978; m. Dr. Steven Hawley, July 26, 1982 (div. 1987).

Selected for 1st group of women astronauts (1978), was the 1st American woman in space (June 18, 1983); after 2nd flight in 1984, served on the Rogers Commission to investigate the Challenger disaster and was a special assistant to the NASA administrator; resigned from NASA (1987); became director of the Space Science Institute at University of California at San Diego; published To Space and Back (1986), Voyager: An Adventure to the Edge of the Solar System (1992) and The Third Planet: Exploring the Earth From Space (1994). Inducted into Women's Hall of Fame (1988).

See also Women in World History.