Sally Ride: Representing Unrepresented Communities in Astronomy

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    Sally Ride (1951-2012) was an astronaut and physicist who is remembered and celebrated for being the first American woman to fly in space. Before joining NASA in 1978, she studied and graduated from Stanford University with a Bachelor's degree, Master's degree, and a PhD in physics. During her time in Stanford, Ride had seen a newspaper article that NASA was hiring astronauts and that women could apply, so she submitted an application. In 1982, after being one of 8,000 applicants and 35 selected astronaut trainees, NASA chose Ride to be a mission specialist on the first shuttle crew to include women.

Ride in 1984. Credit: NASA

    Sally Ride was partnered with four male crewmates on Challenger's STS-7 mission in 1983. The objective of the mission was to deploy the Anik C2 and Palapa B1 communication satellites. Ride's primary role in this mission was to be the ground-based capsule communicator, where she would be the main vessel of communication between ground control and the space shuttle. She also contributed to the mission with her skill for operating the shuttle's robotic arm, as well as assisting other experiments that were carried out during STS-7's 97 orbits around the Earth - the mission ending after approximately 6 days.
Sally Ride Image Gallery. Credit: NASA
    
    In her time at NASA, Sally Ride completed one more mission, and later in her career had moved to NASA's headquarters to direct the agency's Office of Exploration, to which she eventually retired from in 1987. She went on to accept faculty and director positions at various universities such as Stanford, UC San Diego, and the University of California. Beyond her professional career as an astronaut and physicist, Ride devoted the remainder of her life to her own programs that she and her partner Tam O'Shaughnessy created to get young people, primarily girls, interested in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics in hopes to inspire this demographic while simultaneously making an effort to close the gender gap in her field of profession. Despite her passing in July of 2012 due to an ongoing battle with cancer, Sally Ride is remembered as a trailblazer for women and LGBTQ+ people in astronomy. Her contributions to the STEM field and the impact she has on so many lives will forever be acknowledged and celebrated, and her legacy will continue to inspire marginalized astronomers and physicist now and in the future.



Sources:
Gohd, Chelsea. "This Pride, Be Inspired by Sally Ride's Legacy." SPACE.com, 18 June 2018.

"Sally Ride (1951-2012) NASA Astronaut/First American Woman in Space." NASA, Accessed 16 October 2022.

Anderson, Ashlee. "Sally Ride." National Women's History Museum." 2018.

"Sally Ride." Wikipedia, Accessed 16 October 2022.

"Dr. Sally Ride." Sally Ride Science @ UC San Diego, Accessed 16 October 2022.

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