In Memoriam

In Memoriam: Sally Ride, the first woman to fly in space

Sally Kristen Ride Ph.D, the first woman to fly in space, has died at the age of 61.

Published

14 years ago

July 23, 2012

Sally Ride, The First Woman To Fly in Space, Has Died

Astronaut Sally K. Ride, STS-7 mission specialist, performs a number of functions simultaneously, proving the necessity for versatility and dexterity in space travel. Floating freely on the flight deck, Dr. Ride communicates with ground controllers in Houston, moves within feet of important reference data, hand calculators and other aids all at the same time. She is one of the five astronaut crewmembers for the Challenger's second orbital mission. Her head is in the station normally occupied by the pilot (in this case, Federick H. (Rick) Hauck) and her feet are anchored at the station for the crew commander (in this case, Robert L. Crippen). (NASA, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons | https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:STS007-14-629.jpg)

Sally Ride Ph.D, the first woman to fly in space, has died at the age of 61. Ride was battling pancreatic cancer.

According to her website:

Sally Ride died peacefully on July 23rd, 2012 after a courageous 17-month battle with pancreatic cancer. Sally lived her life to the fullest, with boundless energy, curiosity, intelligence, passion, joy, and love. Her integrity was absolute; her spirit was immeasurable; her approach to life was fearless.

Sally was a physicist, the first American woman to fly in space, a science writer, and the president and CEO of Sally Ride Science. She had the rare ability to understand the essence of things and to inspire those around her to join her pursuits.

Sally’s historic flight into space captured the nation’s imagination and made her a household name. She became a symbol of the ability of women to break barriers and a hero to generations of adventurous young girls.

After retiring from NASA, Sally Ride used her high profile to champion a cause she believed in passionately—inspiring young people, especially girls, to stick with their interest in science, to become scientifically literate, and to consider pursuing careers in science and engineering.

In addition to Tam O’Shaughnessy, her partner of 27 years, Sally is survived by her mother, Joyce; her sister, Bear; her niece, Caitlin, and nephew, Whitney; her staff of 40 at Sally Ride Science; and many friends and colleagues around the country.