Sally Ride, who was the first woman in space, was honored today with a Google Doodle She would have celebrated her 64th birthday today.
Ride was born in Los Angeles and got her Ph.D. in physics at Stanford University. While there, she applied to NASA and was chosen to go into space in 1982. At the time, she was just 32, making her the youngest American to travel to space.
After her time as an astronaut, Ride focused on educating children and hoped young girls and minority students would still be interested in science and math. She went on to create Sally Ride Science in order to help train teachers and bring science and math to students.
Ride died in July 2012 at age 61, but her legacy will not be forgotten, as long as students continue to learn and dream about science and space.
“Sally died almost three years ago on July 23, 2012, from pancreatic cancer. But I know she would be honored by today’s Google Doodle,” Tam O'Shaughnessy, Ride’s partner, wrote in a Google Blog post. “With whimsy, it expresses Sally’s sense of fun and adventure, and her ability to inspire young people. And who knows—maybe her Doodle will motivate some girl or boy somewhere in the world to become a scientist and adventurer just like Sally.”
Here’s the behind-the-scenes look at the Doodle:
image from Google.com