Illustration of Sally Ride in NASA gear and a spaceship launching in the background

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Sally Ride

As the first American woman in space, she paved the way for others.

As You Read, Think About: Why is Sally Ride considered a trailblazer?

Sally Ride
Watch a video interview with astronaut Sally Ride.

On May 5, 1961, Alan Shepard became the first American to travel to space. Dozens of other U.S. astronauts rocketed beyond Earth over the next two decades. All of them were men. Then on June 18, 1983, Sally Ride broke that barrier. She blasted into history aboard the space shuttle Challenger. Ride led the way for other women to reach the stars. 

“For many girls, seeing her fly into space was inspirational because they hadn’t thought about that as a career,” says Jennifer Ross-Nazzal. She’s a historian at NASA, the U.S. space agency.

Space Frontiers/Archive Photos/Hulton Archive/Getty Images 

As part of her astronaut training, Sally Ride learned to fly a U.S. Air Force jet.

Big Dreams 

Ride was born in Encino, California, on May 26, 1951. Growing up, she loved science. 

“I was fascinated by whether there might be life on Mars,” Ride told Scholastic News in 2008. “I was fascinated by the stars.” 

At the time Ride was in college, science wasn’t a common career path for women. 

In 1970, women held only 7 percent of STEM (science, technology, engineering, and math) jobs in the U.S.

Still, Ride was determined to follow her dream. In 1977, she saw an ad in a newspaper. NASA was looking for new astronauts. For the first time, women could apply.

“I always dreamed of going into space,” Ride said. “The moment I had that chance, I jumped at it.”

Of the more than 8,000 people who applied, only 35 were selected for astronaut training. Ride was one of the six women chosen.

To Space and Beyond

In April 1982, NASA announced that Ride would be a mission specialist on its seventh space shuttle voyage.

Reporters asked her insulting questions that they didn’t ask male crew members. They wanted to know if Ride planned to bring makeup to space or if she cried when things went wrong. 

But through it all, she stayed focused on her job. Aboard Challenger, Ride conducted experiments. She also helped successfully launch a satellite using a robotic arm.

“She demonstrated just how capable a woman could be,” says Ross-Nazzal.

Ride returned to space aboard Challenger in 1984. She and Kathryn Sullivan became the first American women to be part of the same crew. Since then, more than 50 other American women have become astronauts.

A STEM Superstar 

Ride later became a college professor and wrote several books for kids about space. She also started Sally Ride Science. The organization encourages girls to pursue careers in STEM. Ride, who died in 2012, was proud to be a trailblazer.  

“You need to have that first person walk through the door before other people can follow them,” she said. “It meant a lot to me to be that role model and to be able to break that barrier for women and for young girls.”

Historic Ride

Here’s a look at Sally Ride’s first flight on the space shuttle Challenger.

June 18, 1983: Kennedy Space Center, Florida: The crew begins its trip to the launchpad.


A crowd gathers to watch the historic moment.


The crew prepares for takeoff. Challenger blasts off.


Ride spends six days on the shuttle, orbiting Earth. 


  1. What barrier did Sally Ride break?
  2. NASA historian Jennifer Ross-Nazzal says that Ride “demonstrated on her mission just how capable a woman could be.” How did Ride do this?
  3. What are the main ideas of the section “A STEM Superstar”?
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