Sally Ride: Trailblazing Astronaut

Sally Ride: Trailblazing Astronaut — page 1
1 Standout Space Explorer Sally Ride was a trailblazing astronaut She was the first US woman to travel into space This made Ride famous But being a pioneering astronaut was just one of Ride’s many successes She was also a star student a skilled physicist and a talented athlete Ride studied physics in college and earned several degrees When she applied to become an astronaut NASA chose her out of thousands of applicants The organization asked Ride to serve on special committees throughout her life Ride also served in several other science-based organizations She started her own science education program for kids and wrote children’s books about space Ride’s intelligence and leadership made her a standout in everything she did Although Ride stood out she was a shy quiet person She was private about her personal life It wasn’t until after her death that the public learned Ride was gay Ride has since become an important figure to the gay community Her life’s accomplishments blazed the trail for other female and gay space explorers 4