PHOTOS: 35 Years Ago, Astronaut Sally Ride Became the First American Woman in Space Published June 18, 2018 • Updated on September 1, 2021 at 8:29 pm Thirty-five years ago Monday, NASA astronaut Sally Ride became the first American woman in space. 12 photos 1/12 NASA Astronaut Sally Ride floats on the Challenger flight deck. 2/12 NASA Sally Ride is pictured with NASA's first female astronaut candidates in Florida in 1978. 3/12 NASA Astronaut Sally Ride, exits the Shuttle Mission Simulator following a training session in the Johnson Space Center’s Mission Simulation and Training Facility. 4/12 NASA Astronaut Sally Ride is pictured with a set of tools on space shuttle Challenger. Her shirt features the acronym TFNG, which stands for thirty-five new guys in reference to the astronaut class of 1978. 5/12 NASA Sally Ride is pictured with her mission crewmates. Front row, left to right: Ride, Commander Bob Crippen, Pilot Frederick Hauck. Back row, left to right: John Fabian, Norm Thagard 6/12 NASA Sally Ride and her crewmates rocket skyward aboard Challenger at 7:33 a.m. EDT on June 18, 1983. 7/12 NASA 8/12 NASA Astronaut Sally Ride in pictured June 15, 1983 three days before her flight aboard space shuttle Challenger. She is in the cockpit of a T-38 jet. 9/12 NASA Sally Ride takes her seat aboard the space shuttle. 10/12 NASA Astronaut Sally Ride is pictured aboard Challenger. 11/12 NASA Flowers are placed at the Sally Ride Memorial Tree at Johnson Space Center in Texas after the astronaut's death July 23, 2012. 12/12 Astronaut and scientist Sally Ride is pictured at the Sally Ride Science Festival at NASA's Ames Research Center. More Photo Galleries PHOTOS: Heavy snow falls across the NYC metro area See photos from Usher's Super Bowl LVIII halftime show See all the excitement of Super Bowl LVIII in pictures Allegiant Stadium will have these food and drink options for Chiefs-49ers Super Bowl