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Sally Ride

What is sally ride?

· Sarah Mitchell

Key facts

Born May 26, 1951, Los Angeles, California[2]
Died July 23, 2012[2]
First American woman in space June 18, 1983[2]
Mission STS-7, space shuttle Challenger[2]
NASA retirement 1987[2]

Sally Ride was an American astronaut and physicist who became the first American woman in space on June 18, 1983, aboard the space shuttle Challenger during mission STS-7.

Context

Sally Ride was an American astronaut and physicist, best known as the first American woman in space. She flew on STS-7 aboard the space shuttle Challenger on June 18, 1983 [2]. She was the youngest American in space at that time [1]. Ride retired from NASA in 1987 after nine years of service [2]. She later worked at the University of California, San Diego and founded Sally Ride Science in 2001 [3].

Documented claims

  • Sally Ride was the first American woman to fly in space. [2]
  • She was the youngest American in space at the time of her 1983 flight. [1]
  • She founded Sally Ride Science in 2001. [3]

Questions and answers

What did Sally Ride pass away from?

The sources do not specify the cause of her death.

Was Sally Ride on the Challenger that blew up?

No, she flew on Challenger in 1983, but the Challenger disaster occurred in 1986, after she had left that mission [2].

Why did Sally Ride quit NASA?

She retired from NASA in 1987 after nine years of service [2].

Sources

  1. Who Was Sally Ride? (Grades K-4) — nasa.gov (retrieved August 3, 2026)
  2. Sally Ride | Challenger, American Astronaut, NASA, & Death — britannica.com (retrieved August 3, 2026)
  3. Sally Ride — en.wikipedia.org (retrieved August 3, 2026)

Sources last checked August 3, 2026. · More in People