Sally Ride

Wouldn’t it be great to go on an adventure into space? Well, that’s what my hero Sally Ride did. She was the first woman astronaut to go into space. She was born on May 26, 1951 in San Francisco, California. As a child, Sally loved playing all kinds of sports. She would always go play football and baseball with the neighborhood boys.

Around the age of ten, Sally got into playing tennis. Later on, she won a place on the U.S. Tennis Cricket Team. Not only did she enjoy tennis, but she was coached by the Olympic player, Billie Jean King. Sally studied Physics and English Literature at Stanford University. She was awarded a Bachelor of Arts Degree in English, a Bachelor of Science Degree in Physics, a Master's Degree in Physics and a Ph.D. in Physics. After Stanford University, Sally had to make a choice between becoming a tennis pro or going on with science. She decided to go on with science.

One day when she finished school, Sally read an advertisement in the newspaper that the NASA Space program was considering missions for its space shuttle. Sally decided to apply to NASA to become an astronaut. Her first liftoff was in June 1982 on the Space Shuttle Challenger. Two years later in 1984, she flew once again on the Challenger and that was her last flight.

Sally worked as a NASA administrator in Washington, D.C. Then she officially retired from NASA. At the University of California, San Diego, she now teaches one of her favorite subjects, Physics. Sally Ride is head of the California Space Institution.

Sally Ride is important to me because she encouraged women to love science. She showed that women can do whatever men can do. She made a difference in my life since I’m a girl and women can do just as much as boys and men do. Also, Sally Ride is a great role model for people who have big dreams. I’m glad women like Sally Ride encourage girls like me to be whatever we want to. She is my hero!