The first American woman to fly into space died

Sally Ride, the first American astronaut to fly into space, died yesterday after fighting pancreatic cancer for 17 months.

The Sally Ride Science Foundation, which was founded by Ride in 2001 to promote science education, announced that she died in La Jolla, California, at age 61, the AP reported.

Sally Ride astronaut on Challenger airship in 1983. (Photo: NASA)

Ride flew into space for the first time with the Challenger in June 1983, when she was 32 years old. After leaving the US Aeronautics Agency (NASA), she served as a professor at the University of California in San Diego. In addition, she participated in research at Stanford University, where she took her master's and doctorate in physics, and wrote science books for children.

US President Barack Obama said he felt very sad when he heard the news of Ride's death.

"As the first American woman to fly into space, Sally Ride is a national hero and a very influential model. She inspires flying to stars to generations of girls , " said Obama. comment.

A portrait of Sally Ride in NASA database. (Photo: NASA)

NASA also spends the best words for female astronauts.

"Sally Ride astronaut has contributed to changing the face of the US space exploration program. People will always remember her and her star will be shining forever," said Charles Bolden, NASA director. .

The 61-year-old astronaut was born and grew up in Los Angeles, California. She obtained her master's degree and doctorate in physics from Stanford University. After reading an ad for recruiting astronauts on Stanford University's student newspaper, Ride applied and became an astronaut in 1978.

The first woman in the world to fly into space is Valentina Tereshkova - a Soviet astronaut. Her flight took place on June 16, 1963.

After Ride's flight in 1983, more than 45 women from the US and other countries flew into space. Two of them once assumed the position of crew chief.