Sally Ride became the first American woman in space in 1983, flying aboard the Space Shuttle Challenger at the age of 32, then the youngest astronaut in U.S. history. She completed two shuttle missions and logged more than 343 hours in space, advancing NASA’s integration of women into spaceflight. After leaving NASA, Ride taught physics at the University of California, San Diego, directed the California Space Institute, and founded Sally Ride Science to create STEM programs that encouraged young students—especially girls—to pursue science and engineering.