Turning Point
June 18, 1983 was a turning point in the involvement of women in space and science. Ride blasted into space and shattered the glass ceiling. Some men at the time thought that women would not be able to succeed in science related fields, but Ride proved them wrong. For example, Al Bean, an Apollo Veteran, felt that a woman was being sent to do a man's job. Bean thought that spacecrafts and computers were "male things". Sally Ride's performance changed his mind. He noted "Females intuitively understand astronaut skills.... They perform the mental and physical tasks as well as males do."
 Source: Borgman in Cincinnati Enquirer, Courtesy of NASA Archives |
 Source: Clyde Wells in The Augusta Chronicle, Xbradt.com |
Immediate Impact
When Sally Ride's shuttle landed, she became a celebrity. She received 23 phone calls an hour and 85 to 150 interview requests a week. NASA immediately continued letting women into their program. In 1978 only 19.6% of NASA was made up of women, but by 1988 the percentage had risen to 27.4%.
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Source: HLN - She was dedicated, had a lot of drive - July 23, 2012
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 Source: Sally Ride with the Press After Historic Flight, womenshistory.about.com |
 Source: Sally Ride Picture, The Academy of Achievement |
 Source: Sally Ride on Greater Boston, Greater Boston |