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Sally Ride: A timeless inspiration for women in science
The trailblazer passed away on July 23, 2012
© Getty Images
On June 18, 1983, Sally K. Ride became the first North American female astronaut to be sent into space. People around the world could hear the glass ceiling shattering as this 31-year-old physicist from California boarded the space shuttle Challenger and launched into history.
The mission was six days, she was accompanied by four colleagues, and she loved it so much she went again the following year.
Her journey to space was perhaps most difficult on Earth, as she had to squeeze into NASA, past years and years of gender bias and discrimination. She was asked questions her male colleagues never had to answer, and her ability was doubted at various points, but she had the intelligence, persistence, and determination that rendered everyone else’s opinions irrelevant.
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