America's First Female Astronaut was Gay

Sally Ride made history on June 18, 1983, when she became the first American woman in space as part of the Space Shuttle STS-7 crew. During the 147-hour mission, Ride's role was to control a robotic arm that would assist in the launch of satellites into Earth's orbit. The journey was a huge success, and Ride, who was already a household celebrity, was hailed as a hero and a pioneer.

Of course, Ride had more than just an outstanding resume in a spacesuit. She was a complicated and reclusive lady who avoided the limelight, devoting her great energy to scientific advancement and social change. She went on to have a successful career as a physics professor after nine years at NASA. She was not only an outspoken champion for girls and women in science who worked diligently throughout her career, but she was also gay.

A career at NASA:

Many Hollywood movies have depicted early NASA as a boys’ club, which was an accurate representation! It took twenty years of activity before NASA even considered allowing women into the program! Sally Ride was one of five women to be selected for Astronaut Class 8 which also included the first three African-American men and one Asian-American man.

Ride was selected for mission STS-7 as the only female member of the crew, which cemented her fate of becoming the first American woman in space. Although, this was met with a great deal of sexism at the time. Constantly the target of inappropriate questions from reporters, most of whom were men, Ride was once asked whether the “flight [will] affect your reproductive organs?” and “Do you weep when things go wrong on the job?” and of course, “Will you become a mother?”

Ride handled the nasty questions with a natural elegance and calm. She said there was no proof that space travel changed a woman's reproductive organs. She questioned why reporters didn't inquire as to whether or not her male co-workers cried at work. Then simply grinned and declined to answer the third inquiry about her parenting intentions.

It was not just the reporters who were bias, but NASA too. They had approached Ride to help develop a make-up kit that could be used in space, which she denied, and in preparation for her trip on the shuttle, the scientists at NASA believed Ride would need 100 tampons in case she started her period while on her one-week trip to space. To any readers who are unaware of how ridiculous this is, the average number of tampons used per cycle is 7.

A pioneer for Women:

In an interview, Ride stated that she struggled with a lack of STEM classes at her school and that it was her job as a former astronaut to ensure that future young ladies would not have the same difficulties she had in finding her place in the world of science.

In 1987, after divorcing her husband of five years, Ride left NASA and discovered a new career path: scientific communication. Ride went on to become a professor of physics and the head of the California Space Institute at the University of California, San Diego. Also known as CalSpace.

Becoming an Icon:

After leaving NASA, Ride also began creating children's books alongside Tam O'Shaughnessy, a psychologist who specialised in assisting youngsters with reading issues. The two had initially met as teenagers and reunited as scientists, and eventually became romantically involved.

Together they founded an outreach programme named Sally Ride Science in 2001 with the University of California San Diego. Sally Ride Science has taught over 30,000 kids and provided STEM books and career counselling to over six million pupils, among other things. The group has also influenced public perceptions of females and science in the United States.

Ride’s love for O‘Shaughnessy made her the first lesbian astronaut, and the first lesbian in outer space, all unbeknownst to a prejudiced society. Ride kept her personal life private from the public eye and even chose only to reveal her longstanding relationship with her partner to the public in her obituary. In 2012, Ride passed away from pancreatic cancer at the age of 61. Sally Ride Science released her obituary on their website revealing their relationship which was confirmed by her sister, Bear Ride, who stated that:

“Most people did not know that Sally had a wonderfully loving relationship with Tam O’Shaughnessy for 27 years, […] Sally never hid her relationship with Tam. They were partners, business partners in Sally Ride Science, they wrote books together, and Sally’s very close friends, of course, knew of their love for each other, […] We consider Tam a member of our family.”

Ride's dedication to scientific study and science communication will be remembered for the rest of her life. Her efforts to encourage kids (particularly female youth) to participate in STEM have had a lasting influence on future generations, and she will forever be an icon to women and the LGBTQ community.

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