Sally Ride | A Generation Inspired

Some women never chase the spotlight. They disappear into the work.

Sally Ride was one of them.

Not the shouting kind of trailblazer. Not a symbol. Not an archetype. Just a woman with a doctorate in physics and a quiet voice that said yes when they asked if she wanted to go to space.

She went.

It was 1983. Reagan was president. MTV was young. The Challenger sat on the pad in Florida like something out of a child’s dream. And Sally, thirty-two, private, composed, became the first American woman to leave the atmosphere.

They asked her if she cried when things went wrong.

They asked her if she packed makeup.

They asked her what it felt like to be the first.

She answered the way physicists answer. Sparingly. Without drama. As though the facts, if you just lined them up right, could speak for themselves.

But she wasn’t cold. She wasn’t distant. She was exact.

And that, somehow, was more radical.

After NASA, she didn’t cash in. She didn’t run for office. She went back to academia. She wrote. She taught. She started Sally Ride Science because she believed girls belonged in labs, classrooms, and launchpads. A nd she knew belief wasn’t enough—you had to build the scaffolding.

When she died on July 23, 2012, the obituaries listed the hours logged, the missions flown, the records broken. They used the word pioneer because it’s what we say.

But what mattered was how she changed the frame.

How her presence rewrote the equation.

How she made space for others by not trying to be more than herself.

We remember her today with a poem from Red, White and Verse. Not for decoration, but as a small act of memory. A way of saying: she was here. She mattered.

Sally Ride

A Generation Inspired

Diverse, inclusive, the scientific community must be,

Sally’s life a testament, as clear as can be,

Passion, determination, a vision to see,

An impact lasting, like an endless sea.

In the heart of America, where dreams are sown,

Was born a star, in Los Angeles known,

May’s child, Sally Ride, her path not yet shown,

A space traveler she’d be, in zones unknown.

The final frontier called, a cosmic plea,

In ’78, NASA gained a recruit, fiery,

A new band of astronauts, thirty-five and free,

With Sally in their midst, forging history.

On a bright June day in ’83, she took her flight,

Aboard the Challenger, gleaming in sunlight,

First American woman to touch the starry night,

A page in history turned, a guide star burning bright.

Her journey was renewed the following year,

In space again, her resolve crystal clear,

Three hundred forty-three hours, a career,

Two hundred twenty orbits, met with cheer.

In her hands, the shuttle’s robotic arm moved,

Experiments performed, theories proved,

Physics, earth sciences, her interest grooved,

Her pioneering spirit, in every act, it proved.

Leaving NASA behind in ’87, she sought a new way,

In academia’s hall, her influence held sway,

STEM was her mantra, science every day,

Education was her mission, leading the young to play.

Sally Ride Science, her brainchild, her pride,

Inspiring young minds, her vision worldwide,

Especially girls, in STEM they’d confide,

Their aspirations blooming, in science they’d reside.

On a July day in 2012, she bade Earth goodbye,

In La Jolla, California, beneath the clear sky,

But her legacy lives on, it will never die,

A pioneer, educator, advocate—her spirit flies high.

In her strides, shattered barriers, broken wide,

A new path for women, a significant stride,

In science, technology, and space’s wide tide,

A generation inspired by Sally Ride.

By Greg McNeilly

SALLY RIDE (1951–2012)

·      Sally Ride was born in Los Angeles, California, in 1951.

·      Ride joined NASA’s Astronaut Group 8 in 1978, also known as the “Thirty-Five New Guys.”

·      She became the first American woman to experience space travel when she boarded the Space Shuttle Challenger on June 18, 1983.

·      Ride further distinguished herself as the first American woman to venture into space twice, by completing a second spaceflight, STS-41-G, in 1984.

·      During her 343 hours in space, she orbited Earth 220 times.

·      Among Ride’s responsibilities as a mission specialist were operating the shuttle’s robotic arm and conducting experiments in physics, earth sciences, and human physiology.

·      After leaving NASA in 1987, Ride shifted her focus toward academia, advocating for science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) education.

·      Cofounding Sally Ride Science, she strived to inspire young minds, especially girls, to engage with and pursue careers in STEM fields.

·      Ride served on numerous advisory boards and committees associated with space exploration and education, including investigating the Space Shuttle Challenger disaster in 1986.

·      Sadly, Ride passed away on July 23, 2012, as a result of pancreatic cancer.

·      She broke barriers and inspired generations of women and girls to pursue science, technology, engineering, and mathematics because of her achievements.

·      Ride has become an enduring symbol of women’s accomplishments in space exploration, inspiring a generation of female astronauts and scientists.

·      Her profound commitment to science education, especially for young girls, continues to influence today’s world through initiatives such as Sally Ride Science, which aims to motivate and empower the scientists and innovators of tomorrow.

·      Ride’s life is proof that people can achieve extraordinary things when they apply their strengths with grit and determination.