Biography and Facts  Born in and grew up in Encino, California  Loved to play tennis  Schooling: by 1977 had degrees in physics and English and a Ph. D. in physics from Stanford University

Becoming an Astronaut  While finishing her Ph. D. at Stanford, she saw an ad in the newspaper about NASA hiring astronauts, applied immediately  Most astronauts before had been military pilots, and all were male  Was selected in a group of 35 (6 were women)  January 1978 was selected to be an astronaut  First woman ever and youngest person ever (still is)

Robotic Arm  Helped to develop the robotic arm  Used to maneuver satellites in space  Ride’s background in physics made her qualified for this  Involves basic physics theories  The use of pulleys and levers

Work in Space and Beyond  6/18/1983 first woman in space onboard the Challenger  2 nd flight on 10/5/1984 on the 13 th shuttle flight  Investigated the explosion of the Challenger  1 st director of NASA’s Office of Exploration  Wrote numerous children’s books

Life after Space  Member of  the President’s Committee of Advisors on Science and Technology  the National Research Council’s Space Studies Board  the Pacific Counsel on International Policy  Was on the boards of  the Congressional Office of Technology Assessment  the Carnegie Institution of Washington  the NCAA Foundation  Aerospace Corporation  the California Institute of Technology  Was a fellow of the American Physical Society

Awards and Honors  National Women’s Hall of Fame  California Hall of Fame  Aviation Hall of Fame  Astronaut Hall of Fame  Jefferson Award for Public Service  Von Braun Award  Lindbergh Eagle  NCAA’s Theodore Roosevelt Award  NASA Space Flight Medal (2x)  National Space Grant Distinguished Service Award

Sally Ride Science  Organization founded by Sally Ride in 2001  Encourages young kids to pursue their interests in science and technology  Provides materials, programs, and development for teachers grades k-12

Women in Space Today  26% of all NASA astronauts  33% of NASA employees  Women are completely accepted as members of the space team

Robotic Arm Activity  Materials:  Straws  Rubber bands  Nylon cords  Cardboard  Tape  Scissors  Ruler

Activity 1. Cut a piece of cardboard 10 cm x 10 cm (palm) 2. Cut 3 pieces of cardboard 2 cm x 9 cm (fingers) 3. Cut each finger into 3 sections of 2 cm x 3 cm (joints) 4. Tape each finger together by taping the smaller sections together 5. Cut a rubber band 5 cm long and tape it across the middle of the first joint (place tape on either side of the joint) 6. Fold the ends of the rubber bands over the tape and tape down again.

Activity 1. Repeat steps 5 and 6 for the other joints 2. Cut a piece of nylon cord 35 cm long 3. Tape one end of the nylon cord on the tip of the finger 4. Cut 4 pieces of straw 2 cm each 5. Thread pieces of straw through nylon cord 6. Tape a piece of straw in the middle of each finger section 7. Tape the last straw to the palm 8. Repeat all steps for the other two fingers

Works Consulted  o o  space-activities-kids.html space-activities-kids.html  ce ce