Sally Ride dies at 61; first American woman in space
Tuesday, July 24, 2012 - 13:30
in Mathematics & Economics
Sally Ride, an L.A. native who held a doctorate in astrophysics from Stanford, was also the youngest American in space when she flew aboard the Challenger in June 1983.In the early days of the space program, astronauts were ex-Marines, Air Force officers and hot-shot pilots. Sally Ride got there a little differently: She answered a want ad.