The world of space travel lost a historic figure today. After a 17-month battle with pancreatic cancer, Sally Ride, the first U.S. woman to travel to space died in her San Diego home at the age of 61 on Monday.
On June 18, 1983, Dr. Ride made history when she became the first U.S. woman in space when she boarded the space shuttle Challenger with four other crew members. Just a year later, she completed her second mission to space. At the age of 32, she also made history by being the youngest American in space at the time. Ride was set to go on a third mission until the 1986 Challenger explosion which killed all on board.
Ride was also the only American to sit on both panels for the investigation of the deadly 1986 Challenger explosion and the 2003 Colombia crash.
Ride grew up in Los Angeles and attended Stanford University, where she earned degrees in physics, astrophysics and English. After seeing an ad in a newspaper which said NASA was hiring. She applied and joined NASA's astronaut corps in 1978.
"Sally Ride broke barriers with grace and professionalism - and literally changed the face of America's space program," NASA administrator Charles Bolden, a former astronaut, said in a statement, as quoted by Reuters.
"She will be missed, but her star will always shine brightly," Bolden said.
A decade after joining NASA, Ride left to become a faculty member at the University of California, San Diego. She also went on to write several books and she served on dozens of NASA advisory boards.
"Sally lived her life to the fullest, with boundless energy, curiosity, intelligence, passion, commitment, and love. Her integrity was absolute; her spirit was immeasurable; her approach to life was fearless," read a statement on the website of Sally Ride Science. Sally Ride started the company to help teach young women and girls about science, math and technology.
"As the first American woman to travel into space, Sally was a national hero and a powerful role model," President Barack Obama said soon after news of her death broke. "She inspired generations of young girls to reach for the stars and later fought tirelessly to help them get there by advocating for a greater focus on science and math in our schools. Sally's life showed us that there are no limits to what we can achieve and I have no doubt that her legacy will endure for years to come."
Ride is survived by her partner of 27 years, Tam O'Shaughnessy, her mother, her sister, and other family members.
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