Sally Ride became the first American woman in space aboard Space Shuttle Challenger in 1983.
Ride launched on June 18, 1983, as a mission specialist on STS-7. The six-day mission deployed satellites and tested the Shuttle’s robotic arm. She flew again on STS-41-G in 1984, making her the first American woman to travel in space twice.
Ride was the third woman in space overall. Soviet cosmonaut Valentina Tereshkova had become the first woman in space in 1963, and Svetlana Savitskaya became the second in 1982. Ride was also the youngest American astronaut to fly in space at the time, aged 32.
Her selection helped broaden the public image of astronauts, although women had been eligible for NASA’s astronaut corps only since 1978. After leaving NASA, Ride became a physics educator and founded Sally Ride Science.