Sally Ride: The First American Woman in Space

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The first American woman in space, Sally Ride, paved the way for many women with aspirations in the field of science. She made great strides in the women’s movement. The women’s movement was a way for women to obtain equal rights. There were three aspects behind the women’s movement: suffrage, the glass ceiling, and feminism. Suffrage is obtaining the right that everyone in America should be granted, the right to vote. The glass ceiling is the idea of women getting equal rights at work. All women should get the position and pay that they deserve, not a position and pay based on their gender. Feminism is the way to legally protect women from men abusing them. Sally Ride created huge strides in proving what women could do. She is an inspiration for young girls to achieve their goals no matter what it takes.
Dr. Sally Kristen Ride was born in Encino, California on May 26th, 1951. Growing up, Sally was considered a tomboy. She spent most of her time playing football and baseball with the neighborhood boys. As Sally grew older, she found a love for tennis and science fiction novels. In high school, she studied chemistry, physics, trigonometry, and calculus. Sally started her first year of college at Swarthmore College in Pennsylvania and then transferred to Stanford University in California. At Stanford, Sally’s main studies were english and physics. After graduation Sally entered Stanford’s Master’s program specializing in astrophysics. It was during this that Sally heard that the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) were looking for young scientists to become mission specialists. She noticed that NASA was encouraging women to apply. Sally applied and seemed to fit all of the requirements. She was asked to report to ...

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