Sally Ride was born on May 29, 1951, in the state of California. Ride was born to parents Carol Joyce and Dane Burdel Ride. Ride and her sister were always encouraged by their parents to pursue their dreams and aspirations. Ride was encouraged to pursue science as her parents saw her drawn to the field. Sally Ride’s parents bought her a telescope and a subscription to Scientific American– further showing how much they supported her dreams.
As a child and teenager, Sally Ride played tennis. Ride was excellent at tennis and competed in various competitions. Because of her talents, she was offered a scholarship to the very prestigious high school Westlake School for Girls in Los Angeles. Ride’s family was very proud of her for this incredible achievement.
After high school, Ride went to attend Swarthmore College in Pennslyvania. However, she left Swathermore to pursue tennis but quickly realized she wanted to further her interest in science and transferred to Standford University. Ride double majored in
Physics and English. She received a bachelor’s degree in those subjects in 1973. She furthered her education by earning a master’s degree in 1973 and a doctorate in 1978.
Her education in physics allowed her to later become one of the first women in space.
After that, Ride saw an ad in a newspaper by NASA. She was later selected by NASA as one of 5 women to be a part of the NASA class of 1978. NASA began to search for scientists like Ride because they realized that in order to be successful as astronauts they needed scientists as mission specialists. The program required a lot of physical activity, such as using parachutes or scuba diving. Additionally, Ride was able to learn more about science– which was her dream!
Afterward, Sally Ride worked at NASA to construct space shuttles. She was selected to be communications officer for the creation of the second and third space shuttle. For the seventh space shuttle Ride was selected to be a part of the crew! This would mean Ride would be one of the first women and the youngest astronaut to ever experience space. On June 18th, 1983, Ride got on the Challenger STS-7 and made history. The mission lasted one week and the team conducted several experiments using satellites. Ride’s job during the mission was that of an engineer, she was responsible for launching the communication satellites and operating the mechanical arm.
Later, Ride went on to work on another space shuttle mission. Then, Ride was eight months of preparation for the Challenger when a devastating disaster destroyed everything. The flight, which contained many of her friends and family was destroyed. Ride went on to investigate this situation.
After this, Ride became the director of the California Space Science Institute. She also served as a professor at the University of California. Ride who saw how little representation there was for Girls in Stem worked very hard to create opportunities to bring awareness to the lack of representation for girls. Ride wrote many books for middle school readers as well as founding space.com. Ride also founded Sally Ride Science which was an organization that encompassed equality for all sexes in STEM. In these ways, Ride was able to help middle schoolers– especially girls get access to STEM resources.
Ride passed away on July 23, 2012, due to cancer. Sally Ride was an inspiration for all girls. She created resources for girls to be inspired to pursue STEM. Moreover, Ride helped to expand our knowledge of space by working on space shuttles and being the first American woman in space. Sally Ride is a selfless hero whose legacy will never be forgotten.
Works Cited
Academy of Achievement. (2024, February 5). Sally K. Ride, Ph.D. | Academy of Achievement. https://achievement.org/achiever/sally-ride-ph-d/
Biography: Sally Ride. (n.d.). National Women’s History Museum. https://www.womenshistory.org/education-resources/biographies/sally-ride#:~:text=Sally%20Kristen%20Ride%20was%20born,dreams%20of%20becoming%20a%20professional.
Sally Ride. (2024, February 22). Biography. https://www.biography.com/scientists/sally-ride
About the Author:
Prishu Gaire is a freshman from Delaware. She enjoys dance and creative writing. Prishu is passionate about pursuing a career in STEM as well as business. Contact— prishugaire@gmail.com
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