First American woman in space - Sally Ride

Born                    Sally Kristen Ride

                             May 26, 1951

                             Los Angeles, California, U.S.

Died                     July 23, 2012 (aged 61)

                             La Jolla, California, U.S.

Cause of death   Pancreatic cancer

Nationality         American

Education          BS Physics / BA English –Stanford University

                            MS Physics – Stanford University

                            Ph.D. Physics – Stanford University

Occupation        Physicist

Spouse(s)            Steven Hawley (m. 1982–1987; divorced)

Partner(s)          Tam O'Shaughnessy(1985–2012; Ride's death)

Parent(s)             Dale Burdell Ride

                            Carol Joyce (née Anderson)

Relatives            Karen "Bear" Ride (sister) NASA astronaut

Status                  Deceased

Time in space      14d 07h 46m

Selection              1978 NASA Group

Missions               STS-7, STS-41-G

Retirement            August 15, 1987 

Sally Kristen Ride (May 26, 1951 – July 23, 2012) was an American physicist and space traveler. Conceived in Los Angeles, Ride joined NASA in 1978 and turned into the first American lady in space in 1983. At 32 years old, despite everything she remains the most youthful American space traveler to go to space. After flying twice on the space transport Challenger, she exited NASA in 1987. She labored for a long time at Stanford University's Center for International Security and Arms Control, then the University of California, San Diego as a teacher of material science, basically examining non-straight optics and Thomson diffusing. She served on the councils that explored the Challenger and Columbia space transport fiascos, the main individual to partake on bot