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In Los Angles, California, on May 26, 1951, Sally Kristen Ride was born. Little did her parents Dale and Joyce Ride know that she would be the first American woman in space. Ride might not have even become an astronaut at all if her parents hadn't believed in not conforming to the 'normal' standards of life as women. She also had a younger sister named Karen. But when Karen was born Ride had trouble saying that name so she called her Bear. Ride had a very interesting childhood. She was very interested in the outdoors and was a natural athlete. She also loved the Dodgers and wanted to be a shortstop. Another interesting part was the trip her family took to Europe. Her father quit his job and they sold their house to go. When they were touring in Spain, she fell in love. . . with tennis! She was a natural and studied with Alice Marble, a Wimbleton star who worked with a lot of the excellent tennis players who became famous. She became so good, she placed 18th in the junior tennis circuit competition and could have been a professional. Once Ride returned home, she rediscovered her love for science. She then, at age 15, went to Westlake School for Girls. There she got a tennis scholarship. No one suspected that she would become the first woman in space. And all the while, she played tennis. Tennis taught her self-control, self-discipline, to have a good demeanor, and to control her emotions (some of the time, at least!). But then she had to choose between her two loves, tennis and physics. Ride decided that she wasn't good enough for tennis pro. And with this choice she went to Swathmore College on the east coast to study astrophysics. She finally decided she belonged in California. Once again, Ride tried to get a tennis career going, but still couldn't get the strength to be as good as she needed to be to become a professional. She then went to Stanford University to get a career in physics up and running. While she was in her senior year at Stanford, Ride became exhausted with all the science being pushed into her brain. So she took an English and literature class, causing her to discover Shakespeare. And so it was that in 1973, Ride earned a Bachelor of Arts in English literature and a Bachelor of Science in Physics, along with a doctorate. In 1975, Ride earned a master's degree. In 1977, Ride had almost completed her Ph.D.. Ride prepared herself in life to be a teacher, like her father. And when she became an astronaut, she got into it for the science. The very next year Ride was chosen as an astronaut after reading a magazine ad saying that NASA needed young scientists to become mission specialists. She was on Missions 7 and 13 in 1983 and in 1984. In 1986, Ride was on the committee investigating the disaster involving the shuttle Challenger. In 1987, Ride wrote a proposal to establish a lunar base. Also in this year she joined Stanford's Center for International Security and Arms Control. In 1989, Ride became head of the Space Institute of the University of California in San Diego. |
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