Sally Ride Birthday & Fun Facts

Sally Ride Birthday Highlights

Birth Name

Sally Ride

Place Of Birth

Los Angeles, USA

Age

72 years old

Birth Date

May 25 1951

Sally Ride Facts

Child Star?

no

Occupation

Astronaut

Education & Qualifications

Stanford University

Net Worth

$1,500,000

Current Partner

Tam O'Shaughnessy

Parents

Carol Joyce Anderson, Dale Burdell Ride

Siblings

Karen Ride

Astronaut and scientist Sally Kristen Ride, later known as Sally Ride, was an American by origin.

In 1978, Sally Ride joined NASA (National Aeronautics and Space Administration), following cosmonauts Valentina Tereshkova in 1963 and Svetlana Savitskaya in 1982. Sally Ride got to be the first American woman in space in 1983.

Sally Ride was 32 years old and was the eldest American astronaut to visit space. Sally Ride withdrew from NASA in 1987 after participating in a space shuttle mission with the Space Shuttle Challenger. Sally Ride spent two years researching nonlinear optical and Thomson dispersion at Stanford University's Center for International Security and Arms Control before moving on to the University of California, San Diego. She was the only individual participating in both commissions that looked into the Challenger and Columbia Space Shuttle tragedies.

The Los Angeles neighborhoods of Van Nuys and Encino are where Sally Ride grew up. Sally Ride was nine years old when her family spent almost a year touring Europe in 1960. Sally Ride applied to Stanford University as a transfer student when she was a junior. Before graduating in 1973, she acquired a Bachelor of Arts in English literature and a Bachelor of Science in physics. Later, she was awarded a Master of Science in physics in 1975 and a Doctor of Philosophy in 1978. Her work concentrated on astrophysics and free-electron lasers.

Sally Ride was married to Steven Hawley, an astronaut, throughout her time in space, and had a long connection with a former WTA player named Tam O'Shaughnessy. On July 23, 2012, Sally Ride passed away from pancreatic cancer. The astronaut died in San Diego, in the United States, on July 23, 2012.

What was Sally Ride's net worth?

Sally Ride was an astronaut and mission specialist during a space flight in June 1983. The primary source of income for Sally Ride came from her career as an astronaut and working alongside NASA. Sally Ride contributed in creating the robot arm, 'Canadarm', for the space shuttle. The net worth of Sally Ride was around $1.5 million.

How much did Sally Ride earn per year?

The annual income of Sally Ride has not been publicly disclosed.

How tall was Sally Ride?

The height of Sally Ride was 5 ft 5 in (165 cm) tall.

How old was Sally Ride?

Sally Ride was 61 years old at the time of her death in 2012. Sally Ride was born on May 26, 1951 in Los Angeles, California, in the United States. Due to pancreatic cancer, Sally Ride passed away in San Diego on July 23, 2012.

On May 26, 1951, Sally Ride, whose birth name was Sally Kristen Ride, was born in Los Angeles, California. Sally Ride was born to Carol Joyce Anderson and Dale Burdell Ride.

Sally Ride was the first child of her parents and had a younger sibling named Karen Ride, who was also known by another name, Bear. Her mother was Norwegian by origin and volunteered as a counselor at a prison for women. Throughout World War II, her father was stationed in Europe alongside the 103rd Infantry Division of the U.S. Army. Her father used the G.I. Bill to attend Haverford College following the war and later received a Master's in education at the University of California, Los Angeles. Santa Monica College hired him to teach political science. Sally Ride was raised in the Los Angeles communities of Van Nuys and Encino. Sally Ride was only nine years old when her family traveled throughout Europe in 1960 for almost a year.

Sally Ride's debut tennis match was in Spain. She was trained by Alice Marble, a retired world number one tennis player, when she was ten years old. She loved to play sports, but tennis was her favorite. In Southern California, for girls aged 12 years and younger, Sally Ride was placed at number 20 in 1963. Sally Ride entered a private school for girls, named Harvard Westlake School for Girls, in Los Angeles as a second-year student based on a tennis scholarship after attending Encino Elementary School, Portola Junior High, and Birmingham High School. 

The mentorship was obtained from Elizabeth Mommaerts, a professor of human physiology. Sally Ride decided to pursue a career in astrophysics. After receiving her diploma in June 1968, she attended Santa Monica College over the summer to enroll in an intensive math course. She registered in quantum physics and Shakespeare programs at the University of California, Los Angeles. Sally Ride was a lone female physics major. As a junior, Sally Ride submitted a transfer application to Stanford University. Sally Ride earned a Bachelor of Science in physics and a Bachelor of Arts in English literature before graduating in 1973, while later, in 1975, she received a Master of Science in physics, and in 1978, a Doctor of Philosophy. Her research focused extensively on free-electron lasers and astrophysics.

Who was Sally Ride's partner?

Sally Ride was married and divorced during her lifetime. In 1982, NASA astronaut Sally Ride married Steven Hawley. But their marriage hit a rough patch, and they pursued a divorce for reasons unknown. They divorced in 1987. Steven Hawley was also an astronaut who flew the space shuttle at least five times.

Sally Ride had a long-time connection with a former WTA player named Tam O'Shaughnessy until Sally Ride's demise on July 23, 2012 due to pancreatic cancer. She passed away in La Jolla, San Diego, California. There is no information about any children of Sally Ride.

Best Known For…

Sally Ride was a well-known astronaut who worked with NASA inclusively in its space shuttle missions. She was also a mission specialist during NASA's space flight deck in June 1983. She worked with NASA until 1987. She was a keen enthusiast of learning more about the solar system, space administration, and robot arms as an astronaut.

Before she gained any recognition, Sally Ride studied physics at UCLA (University of California, Los Angeles), followed by Stanford University. Sally Ride also competed in tennis at the national level.

What awards did Sally Ride win?

All through her lifetime and later, Sally Ride won various accolades. She was honored with the Theodore Roosevelt Award from the NCAA, the Lindbergh Eagle Award, and the Von Braun Award from the National Space Society. She also received the NASA Space Flight Medal twice and was placed in the National Women's Hall of Fame and the Astronaut Hall of Fame.

Sally Ride inspired the naming of elementary schools across the country, notably Sally Ride Elementary School in Germantown, Maryland, including another Sally Ride Elementary School in The Woodlands, Texas. The Samuel S. Beard Award is presented yearly by the Jefferson Awards. This award was given to Sally Ride in 1984.

• Sally Ride announced that she would be retiring from NASA in May 1987 to begin her fellowship at the Stanford University Center for International Security and Arms Control for two years, which would start on August 15 of that same year.
• In June, Sally Ride divorced Steven Hawley. She worked alongside Condoleezza Rice, an expert on the Soviet Union, at Stanford University.
• Sally Ride studied methods for counting and verifying nuclear weapons from space, but the ending of the Cold War significantly lessened the importance of this.
• Sally Ride intended to land permanent employment at Stanford University when her fellowship ended.
• In 1989, Sally Ride was appointed director at the California Space Institute and a physics lecturer at the University of California, San Diego.
• In 2019, The Lucie Stern Hall-based Serra House at Stanford University was renamed the Sally Ride House.
• The American Women Quarters Series will feature Sally Ride among the first two recipients in 2022. 
• A research ship was dedicated to and named in honor of Sally Ride by the U.S. Navy in April 2013.
• The Scripps Institution of Oceanography received the RV Sally Ride (AGOR-28) in 2016, which had been named in 2014.

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