![]() She continued to advocate for science education and published many children’s books about science. Ride pursued her long-time passion of motivating girls and young women to seek science, math, engineering and technology (STEM) careers. Qualified scientists, engineers, teachers, and dreamers had the same opportunity to soar into the sky like Ride.įollowing her time as an astronaut, Dr. No longer was it required for an astronaut to be a pilot or military-trained. The reusable design of the Space Shuttle enabled NASA to promote an egalitarian approach to its astronaut selection. Ride’s first spaceflight was on space shuttle Challenger in 1983. With a variety of pockets useful for storing necessary flight items such as tools, these coveralls were practical in the weightlessness of microgravity. Like most astronauts, these coveralls are very versatile. In our spacesuit collection, see a pair of in-flight coveralls similar to ones worn by Ride to commemorate her historic contribution to space exploration. She was responsible for the 50-foot remote manipulator arm used to maneuver payloads in and out of the shuttle’s cargo bay. On her first of two missions, Ride helped mobilize two different satellites in her role as mission specialist. Ride become the first American woman in space, nearly 20 years after Soviet Valentina Tereshkova became the first female to break the Earth’s bounds. This was the last NASA garment she wore before the accident. Space Center Houston honors her and the fallen crew of Challenger by memorializing her T-38 flight training suit in our comprehensive collection. “Astronauts don’t have to be either very feminine or very masculine women or very superhuman males, or any color or anything,” Resnik said in 1979 while training for the astronaut corps. Resnik’s inspirational words still resonate. Resnik and the rest of the crew were lost when the shuttle exploded shortly after takeoff. Tragically, Resnik’s second trip into orbit was set to be on STS-51-L aboard the Challenger. She and her crewmates conducted many experiments and deployed three satellites, drawing expertise from her doctorate in electrical engineering and extensive training. Resnik became the second American woman and first Jewish American to enter space aboard the maiden voyage of the shuttle orbiter Discovery on Aug. On June 28, 1978, Judith (Judy) Resnik was selected as part of NASA’s first astronaut class to feature women.
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