The first American woman in space and America's first lesbian astronaut--although the latter fact was newly revealed--Sally Ride also became the youngest space traveler when at 32 she made her historic 1983 journey aboard the Challenger. A no-nonsense physicist, Ride, who died July 23 at 61 from pancreatic cancer, dedicated her post-NASA career to encouraging children, especially girls, to pursue science careers through her Sally Ride Science initiative. She was an unflinching member of the panels that investigated the Challenger and Columbia disasters. She is survived by her partner of 27 years, Tam O'Shaughnessy; their relationship was publicly revealed only after...
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