Three days before launch, Ride takes a last look at Houston before taking off in a T-38 jet, bound for NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida. Credit: NASA

Sally Ride

(Photo by Sandy Huffaker/Getty Images)

Sally Ride floats alongside Challenger's middeck airlock hatch. Credit: NASA

Space shuttle Challenger astronauts attend a press conference upon their return from space after completing Space Transportation System Mission 7 (STS-7). They are, left to right, Mission Specialists Dr. Norman Thagard, John Fabian and Dr. Sally Ride; Frederick Hauck, pilot, and Robert Crippen, commander. Ride is the first American woman astronaut to fly in space, Julu 24, 1983. Credit: Dept. of …

On June 18, 1983, a young physicist from California took her seat aboard the space shuttle and launched into history. On that date, Sally Ride became the first American woman in space as a mission specialist on STS-7. In this image, Ride monitors control panels from the pilot's chair on the flight deck. Credit: NASA