LOS ANGELES (CBS) — The first American woman in space, astronaut and physicist Sally Ride, is getting her own postage stamp.
The Sally Ride Forever stamp was unveiled at the University of California San Diego where Ride served as a professor of physics.
The school is also home to Sally Ride Science, the non-profit organization she co-founded “to inspire young people in STEM studies and to promote STEM literacy.”
“Sally Ride’s history-making journey has made it easier for young girls to dream of one day being an astronaut, an engineer, a physicist or a mathematician. Today, girls don’t just dream. Because of trailblazers like Sally Ride, they have been empowered to do!” said U.S. Postal Service Chief Information Officer and Executive Vice President Kristin Seaver.
In June of 1983, Ride was launched into space aboard the space shuttle Challenger and spent six days in orbit. She completed a similar mission the following year. In 2012, Ride passed away from pancreatic cancer. She was 61.
“I admired Sally for her intellect that she applied as a scientist, her focus and passion for STEM education, and her astounding competence in so many areas, including her critical contributions to NASA and the nation,” said Ellen Ochoa, the first Hispanic woman in space and the director of NASA’s Johnson Space Center.
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