First US woman in space, Sally Ride, dies at 61

The first American woman to go into space, Sally Ride, died Monday after a 17-month battle against pancreatic cancer, her company said.

Ride made history in 1983 as a crew member on the space shuttle Challenger, breaking the gender barrier for U.S. spaceflight. Soviet cosmonaut Valentina Tereshkova became the first woman in space in 1963, but it took another 20 years for NASA to follow suit.

Word of Ride's death came in an announcement from Sally Ride Science, the educational venture she founded after leaving NASA.

President Barack Obama said he and his wife, Michelle, were "deeply saddened" by the news.

"As the first American woman to travel into space, Sally was a national hero and a powerful role model," Obama said in a White House statement. "She inspired generations of young girls to reach for the stars, and later fought tirelessly to help them get there by advocating for a greater focus on science and math in our schools. Sally?s life showed us that there are no limits to what we can achieve, and I have no doubt that her legacy will endure for years to come."

NASA's current leaders issued tributes as well.

"Sally Ride broke barriers with grace and professionalism ? and literally changed the face of America's space program," NASA Administrator Charles Bolden said. "The nation has lost one of its finest leaders, teachers and explorers. Our thoughts and prayers are with Sally's family and the many she inspired. She will be missed, but her star will always shine brightly."

NASA's deputy administrator, Lori Garver, said Ride "was a personal and professional role model to me and thousands of women around the world."

"Her spirit and determination will continue to be an inspiration for women everywhere," Garver said.

Ride made a second space shuttle flight in 1984, also aboard Challenger, and left the space agency in 1987. She served for years as a physics professor and director of the California Space Institute. In 2001, she founded Sally Ride Science, which is aimed at promoting math and science for girls.

She served as a member of the independent board that investigated the 2003 loss of the shuttle Columbia and its crew, as well as the board that laid out policy options for the Obama administration in 2009. That board's conclusions led the White House to cancel plans to return to the moon and instead set the nation's sights on exploring near-Earth asteroids, leading eventually to missions to Mars.

In addition to Tam O'Shaughnessy, her partner of 27 years, Sally is survived by her mother, Joyce; her sister, Bear; her niece, Caitlin, and nephew, Whitney.

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Source: http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/48292643/ns/technology_and_science-space/

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