Featured Article Summary #143

Sally Kristen Ride was an American astronaut and physicist, born in Los Angeles, who joined NASA in 1978. In 1983, she became the first American woman and the third woman overall to fly in space, making her the youngest American astronaut to do so at age 32. Ride studied at Stanford, earning degrees in physics and English literature, and completed her PhD in physics in 1978. She served as a mission specialist and helped develop the Space Shuttle’s robotic arm before flying on missions STS-7 and STS-41-G, spending more than 343 hours in space. After leaving NASA in 1987, she worked in research roles at Stanford and UC San Diego and also served on committees investigating the Challenger and Columbia disasters. Ride was in a private long-term relationship and was later identified as LGBTQ; she died of pancreatic cancer in 2012. Sally Ride was born on May 26, 1951, in Santa Monica, California, and grew up in the Van Nuys and Encino areas of Los Angeles. She loved sports, especially tennis—studying under top coaches—and also became interested in science, deciding she wanted to be an astrophysicist. After school and early university study in Pennsylvania and California, she transferred to Stanford, earned degrees in physics and English literature, and went on to complete a PhD in astrophysics. While at Stanford, she continued playing tennis and was involved in coaching and camps, and she later mentored and formed friendships with major figures in the sport. In January 1977, Sally Ride learned NASA was recruiting women for its Space Shuttle astronaut program and sent in her application. After NASA received thousands of applications, she became one of 208 finalists, then the only woman in the sixth astronaut candidate group, where she went through interviews, medical tests, and training that included writing an essay and fitness checks. In January 1978 she was selected as part of Astronaut Group 8, nicknamed “TFNG,” and after completing training in 1979 she officially became an astronaut. Sally Ride helped as a ground-based communicator and supported the development of the Space Shuttle’s robotic arm (“Canadarm”). In 1983 she was chosen to fly STS-7, becoming the first American woman in space after NASA faced major pressure from the media and outdated ideas about what she might need. During the six-day mission she operated the robot arm to deploy and retrieve experiments and satellites, became the youngest American astronaut in space, and even took part in unique firsts like photographing the Shuttle in orbit. After the flight, she toured the country, spoke to government and press groups, and later connected with another woman cosmonaut, Svetlana Savitskaya, in Budapest. While Sally Ride was still on a publicity tour, Abbey assigned her to the STS-41-G crew at astronaut Crippen’s request, so she could serve as his flight engineer during training while he prepared for the earlier STS-41-C mission. During STS-41-G, she flew as the first American woman to reach space twice, and her fellow crew member Kathryn Sullivan later became the first American woman to perform an EVA; it was also the first time two women flew together in space. The Challenger mission launched on October 5, 1984, deploying satellites and running many Earth and in-cabin experiments, including eight Getaway Special payloads. When the SIR-B antenna had problems unfolding and then needed stowage, Ride used the robotic arm to fix and secure it, and she also repaired another antenna. She and Sullivan demonstrated that a satellite could be refueled in orbit during an EVA, and the mission ended after 132 orbits with a landing at Kennedy Space Center on October 13.