Sally Ride

Hello, I’m Sally! When I was a little girl, born on May 26th, 1951, I loved playing outside and looking up at the big, blue sky and the sparkly night sky. I would look at the moon and the stars and wonder, 'What's it like up there?' I loved asking questions and learning how things worked. I also loved to play sports, like tennis, which taught me to aim high and try my best!

When I grew up, I went to a big school called a university to learn all about science. One day, I saw an ad in a newspaper. A place called NASA was looking for people to become astronauts and fly to space! My heart did a happy dance. I knew that's what I wanted to do! I sent them a letter, and guess what? They chose me! I trained very hard, learning how to float in zero gravity and how to work all the buttons in a spaceship.

The most exciting day of my life was June 18th, 1983. I put on my special spacesuit and climbed aboard the Space Shuttle Challenger. The engines rumbled, and with a giant ROAR, we blasted off into the sky! Soon, we were floating in space. I was the very first American woman to go to space! Looking out the window, I saw our beautiful Earth. It looked like a giant, swirly blue marble. It was the best view ever!

Flying in space was a dream come true, and I even went a second time! After I came back to Earth, I wanted to help all kids, especially girls, know that they can be scientists and astronauts, too. I started a company to create fun science projects for you to do. My message to you is to stay curious, ask lots of questions, and never stop reaching for the stars. You can do amazing things!