Ride into the Sunset

Sally Ride, the heroine astronaut with the porn queen name, has died of pancreatic cancer at the age of 61. After answering a want ad in the late 1970s NASA had placed to recruit more astronauts with science training, Ride became the first American woman, and at 31, the youngest person,  in space when she served on board the Challenger. She reportedly spent the entire flight chattering about her hair and nails and asking the pilot if he should stop and ask for directions. Taking advantage of women’s penchant to point out every little flaw, she was the only person selected for the panels of inquiry into the Challenger and Columbia disasters.