Sally Ride Lesson Plan

In 1977 Sally responded to a newspaper ad that NASA was looking for astronauts. Over 8,000 people applied, but only 25 people were hired. Sally was one of them. Sally went to the Johnson Space Center in Houston, Texas to train to become an astronaut. She had to go through all sorts of physical tests including weightlessness training, parachute jumping, and water training such as scuba and treading water in a heavy flight suit. She also had to become an expert in space travel and all the controls within the Space Shuttle. 

In 1979 Sally became qualified to be an astronaut on the Space Shuttle. She was selected to be on the STS-7 mission aboard the Space Shuttle Challenger. On June 18, 1983 Dr. Sally Ride made history as the first American woman in space. She worked as the mission specialist. The other members of the crew were the commander, Captain Robert L. Crippen, the pilot, Captain Frederick H. Hauck, and two other mission specialists, Colonel John M. Fabian and Dr. Norman E. Thagard. The flight lasted 147 hours and set down successfully. Sally said it was the most fun she'd ever had. In her later life Sally and her domestic partner Tam O'Shaughnessy founded a science education company called Sally Ride Science.

Read "Sally Ride; A Space Biography" by Barbara Kramer

 Make your own Astronaut Photo Frame

Here is a fun, and easy, way to make a photo frame. Cut the center out of a paper plate, leaving a short lip at the top for the top of the helmet. Then use a flag sticker, or draw your own flag, and write USA on the top. Place a large copy of the childs' photo in the frame, and tape it to the back.