Profile of the Day: Sally Ride

Today we remember astronaut Sally Ride, who was born on this day in 1951. In 1983, Ride became the first American woman in space when she flew into orbit aboard the space shuttle Challenger.

Image: Sally Ride / NASA

Born in Los Angeles, California, Ride held a keen interest in science from a young age. As she was finishing her Ph.D. in physics at Stanford University, Ride saw an article in the school’s newspaper advertising that NASA was seeking astronauts, and for the first time, was accepting female applicants. In 1978, she was one of six women chosen to join the space program. On June 18, 1983, Ride made history when she became the first American woman in space as a member of the Challenger‘s crew. During her career at NASA, she would make two shuttle flights and was a part of the Rogers Commission, which was responsible for investigating the Challenger disaster in 1986.

After leaving NASA, Ride wrote several books aimed to encourage children to study science and remained a strong advocate of the advancement of women in the sciences. She died in 2012 at the age of 61 after a battle with pancreatic cancer.

Explore Sally Ride’s family tree on Geni and share how you’re related to the astronaut.

View Sally Ride’s Geni Profile