Sally Ride, an American astronaut and physicist, is being honored today in Google on the occasion of her 64th birth anniversary. Ride made history in the world of space travel by becoming the first American woman to travel into space, a dream that she fulfilled on June 18, 1983.
Google released a new doodle for Sally Ride who was a recipient of the Presidential Medal of Freedom. It is the highest civilian award in the U.S. On July 23, 2012, Ride passed away after battling against pancreatic cancer for 17 months. She was 61 yrs. old.
Ride was born on May 26, 1951 in Los Angeles. In her childhood, she would play with "toys" made up of a small telescope and a chemistry set. She also played football in the streets along with the other kids in her neighborhood. Later in her life, she had thought about playing professional tennis. However, she decided to study science instead.
It was in 1977 when Ride applied to join NASA. That time, she was attending the Stanford University and was pursuing a Ph.D. in physics.
For the first time that year, NASA allowed women to apply as astronauts. Ride never hesitated a bit in sending her application. She became one of the six women chosen to be a part of a new breed of astronaut candidates. Six years later, on June 18, she became an important figure in history having earned the title as the first American woman in space.
Apart from being the first American woman in space, Ride is also the youngest American astronaut who has traveled into space and the first known LGBT astronaut. Her legacy continues to inspire many science enthusiasts and young girls and she also serves as an iconic figure in the gay community.
Tam O'Shaughnessy, Ride's partner for 27 years, shared what Ride used to tell her.
"Everywhere I go I meet girls and boys who want to be astronauts and explore space, or they love the ocean and want to be oceanographers, or they love animals and want to be zoologists, or they love designing things and want to be engineers. I want to see those same stars in their eyes in 10 years and know they are on their way," said Ride.
After her stint in NASA, Ride became the director of the California Space Institute and a physics professor at the University of California in San Diego. In 2001, Ride, together with O'Shaughnessy, founded Sally Ride Science. She also contributed in the investigations on the "Challenger" disaster (1986) and the "Columbia" disaster (2003).
Among her many awards, Ride was also awarded with the NCAA's Theodore Roosevelt Award and the NASA Space Flight Medal. She was also inducted into the National Women's Hall of Fame.
