Sally Ride, 1st US woman astronaut

[Flying Horse]

R.I.P. Sally Kristen Ride, astronaut and the first American woman in space, died at age 61 after a 17-month battle with pancreatic cancer at her home in the San Diego suburb of La Jolla. Ride's office said she is survived by Tam O'Shaughnessy, her partner of 27 years; her mother, Joyce; her sister, Bear, a niece and a nephew.

Sally Ride made history in 1983 as a crew member on the Challenger space shuttle, breaking the gender barrier for US astronauts. "As the first American woman to travel into space, Sally was a national hero and a powerful role model," Pres. Obama said in a White House statement. "She inspired generations of young girls to reach for the stars, and later fought tirelessly to help them get there by advocating for a greater focus on science and math in our schools. Sally’s life showed us that there are no limits to what we can achieve, and I have no doubt that her legacy will endure for years to come."
Ride was a mission specialist on her first mission, STS-7, which put the Canadian Anik C-2 and the Indonesian Palapa B-1 communication satellites into orbit. In an 2008 interview timed to coincide with the 25th anniversary of the flight, Ride acknowledged that her status as the first American woman "carried huge expectations along with it. I didn't really think about it that much at the time ... but I came to appreciate what an honor it was to be selected to be the first to get a chance to go into space," she said. Thousands of spectators wore T-shirts and buttons emblazoned with the slogan "Ride, Sally, Ride" on launch day. Ride made a second space shuttle flight in 1984, also aboard Challenger, and was in training for her third mission when Challenger exploded in 1986, killing all seven crew members.
She left the space agency a year later, and served for years as a physics professor and director of the California Space Institute. In 2001, she founded Sally Ride Science, which is aimed at promoting math and science for girls. One of her projects was to develop a camera that could fly aboard spacecraft and take pictures for middle-school students. The fruits of those efforts include EarthKAM on the International Space Station and MoonKAM on the GRAIL lunar probes.

R.I.P. Sally Kristen Ride, astronaut, scientist and educator. You will be missed.

[Forever Sunshine]

RIP Sally

Thoughts and prayers to the family and friends.