Sally Ride was the first American woman in space. She is also known for being the youngest person sent into orbit. Sally was born May 26, 1951 to Carol Anderson and Dale Ride in Encino, Los Angeles, CA. As a child Ride showed natural athletic ability. She loved sports. Ride played tennis, volleyball, and softball but tennis always seemed to be her favorite. She was so good at tennis that she won a partial scholarship to Westlake Schools for girls. This is a prep school in LA. She graduated in 1968. After high school Sally went to Stanford University in California. In 1973, she received a bachelor of science degree in physics. She also received a bachelor of arts degree in English. She continued her education at Standford. There she got a master of science degree in 1975. NASA started looking for female …show more content…
She had battled pancreatic cancer for 17 months. After her death she received many rewards such as that the navy named a research ship after her. In 2017 the US postal Service said that they would be putting an image of Ride on a stamp. Some other awards that were given to Sally while she was alive and after her death included the National Space Society’s von Braun award, the Lindbergh Eagle, and the NCAA’s Theodore Roosevelt Award. She was also inducted into the National Women’s Hall of Fame and the Astronaut Hall of Fame which was awarded to her by NASA. NASA also rewarded her with the NASA Space Flight Medal twice. Sally Ride is an American hero because she stood against sexism. Many people did not believe in her because she was a woman but she ignored their opinions and went for her dreams. She also encouraged others to follow out their dreams. That is why she started her company for kids interested in the science field. Ride was not just considered a hero because she was the first women and third overall person in space but because of the drive and determination she had and how she put that onto