Sally Ride, physicist, astronaut and trailblazer, died peacefully on July 23, 2012 after a 17-month battle with pancreatic cancer. She was 61. Ride was born on May 26, 1951 in Los Angeles and attended Stanford University, graduating with a Bachelor of Science in Physics in 1973. After completing a Masters and a Doctorate in Physics, she was selected as part of the first class of astronauts to include female applicants in 1978. She was the first American woman in space, and served as a mission specialist in 1983 aboard the Space Shuttle Challenger. Ride flew a second mission for Challenger in 1984. Ride later left the space program to join Stanford’s Center for International Security and Arms Control and continued to be an advocate for space exploration and education. She wrote several science books for children in an effort to engage young people in science and to make science fun, and founded the educational company “Sally Ride Science”. Ride’s trailblazing work and passion for science will be long remembered. She leaves behind her mother and sister, her partner Tam O'Shaughnessy, and many friends and admirers.