Ride was first woman in space

Editor’s note: This is another in a series of stories on important women in American history, in celebration of March as National Women’s History Month. Information was provided by members of the Kaua‘i County Committee on the Status of Women. For more information, or to inquire about joining the committee, call Pat Hunter-Williams, 639-0888, or the Office of the Mayor, 241-6300.

Sally Ride, born in 1951, is famous for being the first American woman to fly into space.

When she was a child, she knew that she could do anything she wanted.

Since she liked to solve problems, she decided to become a scientist.

She spent many years studying the science of astrophysics.

Ride even became a doctor of astrophysics.

When Ride saw a newspaper advertisement for NASA (the National Aeronautics and Space Administration), she decided to apply to the space program.

She trained for the job for a long time, learning all about spacecraft and computers.

She was one of five women in the class, but Ride was the first to be chosen to go into space.

After the space shuttle Challenger exploded, Ride decided to become a teacher.

She is now looking for ways to save the earth’s environment by using space technology.