1951-
Astronaut

Education.

Born on 26 May 1951 in the suburbs of Encino, California, Sally Kirsten Ride's intellect and athleticism — both necessities for an astronaut — earned her a place in history as America's first woman to fly in space. She earned both a B.A. in literature and a B.S. in physics in 1973 at Stanford University, and in 1977 she received her Ph.D. in physics from Stanford. Her research in graduate school focused on X-ray astronomy and lasers, and her dissertation research engaged the theory of the influence of magnetic fields on free electrons.

Answering an Ad.

While in graduate school Ride happened, almost by accident, to read an advertisement in the campus newspaper soliciting resumes for work as "mission specialists" on future space flights. NASA had placed the ads hoping that young, talented scientists would identify themselves. They received more than tewn thousand...