Sally Ride
May 26, 1951 – July 23, 2012
Sally Kristen Ride was a celebrated American physicist whose work with X-rays – particularly their relative abilities and behavior in interstellar space – led to her being named as an astronaut in the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA). Ride was selected as part of the first class of Space Shuttle astronauts, or “Group 8.”
Group 8 was notable, not only because of the Shuttle program, but for the fact that it was the first astronaut class to include women and minorities. Including Ride, there were a total of 6 women in the cohort of 35. All 6 would eventually fly in space, but someone had to be first.
Ride served as the capsule commander (CapCom) in Houston for the 2nd and 3rd Shuttle missions. She was also instrumental in the development and deployment of the robotic “Canadarm” device used on Space Shuttle Columbia and subsequent crafts.
On June 18, 1983, Ride served as Mission Specialist for STS-7 aboard the Space Shuttle Challenger. As the first American woman in space, she became something of an instant folk hero, with all the media attention that comes with that. She flew a second time (also aboard Challenger) on STS-41-G in 1984. She served as CapCom for 2 more missions and was scheduled to be a part of STS-61-M, but that flight was canceled in the wake of the1986 Challenger disaster. Ride helped aid in the investigation of the Challenger incident. She would also serve on the investigation of the 2003 loss of Shuttle Columbia. She was the only person to serve on both investigations. She left NASA officially in 1987 and returned to research and teaching roles in the education sector. She remained space-adjacent for much of the rest of her life, leading public outreach programs for NASA and she served on the Committee of Advisors on Science and Technology under President Bill Clinton.
Ride was also a collegiate tennis player and considered tennis legend, Billie Jean King, a friend and mentor. Though she was married to fellow astronaut, Stephen Hawley, during the height of her success at NASA, Ride was gay. She maintained a 27 year partnership with tennis player, Tam O’Shaughnessy…a fact that was kept private until after Ride’s death from pancreatic cancer in 2012. This made her – posthumously and retroactively – the first known LGBTQ+ person in space. Yet another in a long line of barriers that she shattered.
Burial
Woodlawn Cemetery – Santa Monica, CA
Specific Location
Section 18, Lot 419, Grave E; From the intersection of Delaware and Palm Avenues, walk northwest along the fence, through a pair of trees and Sally is buried just past the next tree, 5 rows from the fence.
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