Sally K. Ride

born May 26, 1951

As a member of the crew of the 1983 flight of the Space Shuttle Challenger,
Sally Ride became the first American woman in space. Before being
selected by NASA as an astronaut candidate, Ride earned a Ph.D.
in physics at Stanford University in Palo Alto, CA where she researched
general relativity, astrophysics, and free-electron laser physics.
In 1987, Ride left NASA to accept a job at the Stanford University Center
for International Security and Arms Control, where she works as a 
physicist.