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

Sally Ride: Trailblazing Astronaut — page 2

Sally Ride: Trailblazing Astronaut — page 3 — 2 School and Sports Sally Kristen Ride was born on May 26 1951 in Encino California She grew up in nearby Los Angeles Sally’s parents were Dale and Carol Dale was a political science professor Carol was a counselor When Sally was in fourth grade her family spent a year traveling in Europe When they returned Sally entered sixth grade skipping fifth grade This was because Sally was ahead of her peers in reading and math She also did very well in science Sally was talented in athletics too She liked to run and play sports Sally was a skilled tennis player When she was 13 she met 12-year-old Tam O’Shaughnessy at tennis camp The two developed a friendship that would last throughout their lives In 1964 Sally entered Westlake High School for Girls She graduated in 1968 and enrolled in Swarthmore College in Pennsylvania Sally attended the school for three semesters and then moved home She missed California Ride then played tennis professionally for a short time She earned a national ranking as a junior player In 1970 Ride decided to go back to school She enrolled in Stanford University 6

Sally Ride: Trailblazing Astronaut — page 4 — Ride credits her parents with encouraging her interest in science

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