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Birth
Born in Los Angeles, California, Sally Ride is an American physicist and astronaut. -
Tennis or Science?
Sally was a natural athlete. Her favorite sport was tennis. She could have become a pro tennis player, but chose to study science instead. -
Joined NASA
In 1978, Ride was chosen to join NASA. During her career, Ride served as the ground-based capsule communicator for the second and third space shuttle flights (STS-2 and STS-3) and helped develop the space shuttle's "Canadarm" robot arm. -
1st woman in space
Sally Ride and a crew of a few other men blast off into space. She goes aboard on the Challenger. Sally Ride is the first American women to blast off and orbit the Earth. -
2nd time
Sally Ride makes her second expedition into space. She serves as a mission specialist, again on the space shuttle the Challenger. This time, Ride is in charge of the crew that accompanied her. -
Assigned to STS 61-M
Less than a year after her last flight, Ride was assigned to serve on a planned mission, STS 61-M. Mission training began, but was not completed. -
Space Shuttle Challenger Disaster
NASA Space Shuttle Orbiter Challenger (mission STS -51-L) broke apart 73 seconds into its flight, killing 7 crew memebers. -
STS 61-M cancelled
MIssion STS 61-M was cancelled, after the Challenger disaster. Ride helped investigate the Challenger disaster. -
New job
Ride leaves her position as a mission specialists to work at Standford University Center for International Security and Arms Control. -
Retires from Astronautical careers
Sally retires from her astronautical career and becomes a professor of physics. -
Founded Sally Ride Science
Founded Sally Ride Science to support and encourage young girls to study the sciences. -
Space Shuttle Columbia Disaster
During the launch of STS-107, Columbia's 28th mission, it disintegrated over Texas and Louisiana, as it reentered Earth's atmosphere, killing all 7 crew members. -
Investigated Columbia Disaster
Following the loss of the Columbia shuttle during re-entry into the atmosphere, Ride served on a commitee to investigate the disaster, like she did with the Challenger Disaster. -
Astronaut Hall of Fame
Some 20 years after her first space mission, Sally Ride was inducted into the Astronaut Hall of Fame. -
Death
Sally Ride died at 61 from pancreatic cancer.
