June 2, 2016: A Month Celebrating LGBTQ+ Pride

Sally Ride, often noted as the first American woman in space, lead a rather private life. Born on May 26, 1951, Ride always had a passion for science. At  Stanford University in California, she majored in physics, and when NASA put out a newspaper advertisement looking for female astronauts, she was one of six to be chosen.

On the shuttle in 1983, she worked on a robotic arm that put satellites into space. In 1984, she went into space again.

In 1987, Ride stopped working for NASA and began teaching at the University of California in San Diego. She worked with many young women to encourage them to join STEM careers.

In 1982, she married fellow NASA astronaut Steve Hawley, but they divorced in 1987. Ride passed away from pancreatic cancer in 2012 at the age of 61. In her obituary, it was revealed that she had a life partner of 27 years,  Tam O’Shaughnessy. The two wrote six children’s books together. She was “out” in her personal life, but because she was rather private with the public, it was only in her obituary where the public learned of her sickness and partner. Tam O’Shaughnessy is now the CEO of Sally Ride Science, an organization that promotes women in STEM