NASA which was soliciting applications for young scientists who were
interested in serving as "mission specialists" on future space flights.Sally Kristen Ride was born on May 26, 1951, in Encino, California. She was a gifted athlete who battled between her two loves, science and tennis. For a few years, tennis won. She was awarded a special scholarship to go to school at the prestigious Westlake School in California. It was at Westlake that Sally was introduced to her strongest mentor, Dr. Elizabeth Mommaerts, whose interests in science ignited Sally to become an excellent student.
Ms. Ride never had dreamed that she, of all people, would be the first American woman ever to go up into space.
Her career as an astronaut began in 1977, when she responded to an advertisement by
NASA which was soliciting applications for young scientists who were
interested in serving as "mission specialists" on future space flights.
Sally Ride's opportunity to go up came in March of 1982, when she was chosen as one of the crew members of the space shuttle Challenger. Her appointment was cheered by feminists around the world as a victory for women all over the globe. She flew her last flight for NASA in October of 1983, but continues today to be a spokeswoman for the efforts of the United States in space.
