A Sad 30 Year Anniversary

This week marks the 30th anniversary of the Challenger Shuttle disaster - January 28, 1986.  Seven crew members lost their lives when the shuttle broke apart about a minute into its ascent.  Their names will forever stand as a testament to the price we will be asked to pay as we reach for the stars:

- Gregory Jarvis,
- Christa McAuliffe,
- Ronald McNair,
- Ellison Onizuka,
- Judith Resnik,
- Dick Scobee, and
- Michael J. Smith.

As Ronald Reagan stated on that tragic day,

There's a coincidence today. On this day three hundred and ninety years ago, the great explorer Sir Francis Drake died aboard ship off the coast of Panama. In his lifetime the great frontiers were the oceans, and a historian later said, "He lived by the sea, died on it, and was buried in it." Well, today, we can say of the Challenger crew: Their dedication was, like Drake's, complete.

Sally Ride, Rest in Peace

Sally Ride, America's first woman in space, died on Monday at the age of 61.  Ms. Ride's first entered the Earth's orbit via the Challenger Space Shuttle about 29 years ago on June 18, 1983.  Her list of accomplishments beyond this event is quite impressive:

-- Ph.D. in physics from Stanford. 
-- Joined NASA in 1978.
-- Helped develop a shuttle robot arm for NASA.
-- Part of the Rogers Commission to investigate the Challenger explosion in 1986.
-- Part of the commission to investigate the Columbia explosion in 2003.
-- Member of the Augustine Committee to make recommendations on the future of human spaceflight.
-- Science fellow at the Center for International Security and Arms Control at Stanford University.
-- Professor of physics at the University of California in San Diego.
-- Started Sally Ride Science in 2001 to encourage children to seek careers in science and technology.

While she was not the first woman in space, with Russia being the first nation to do so in 1963 (while China hit this goal earlier this year), Ms. Ride certainly blazed a bright trail for other woman to follow. She may also be the first gay astronaut.  Sally Ride Science's obituary noted:

In addition to Tam O’Shaughnessy, her partner of 27 years, Sally is survived by her mother, Joyce; her sister, Bear; her niece, Caitlin, and nephew, Whitney; her staff of 40 at Sally Ride Science; and many friends and colleagues around the country.

Most importantly, as her organization's biography noted, was her love of space and determination to share it with others:

Sally’s historic flight into space captured the nation’s imagination and made her a household name. She became a symbol of the ability of women to break barriers and a hero to generations of adventurous young girls. After retiring from NASA, Sally used her high profile to champion a cause she believed in passionately—inspiring young people, especially girls, to stick with their interest in science, to become scientifically literate, and to consider pursuing careers in science and engineering.

Sally, we wish you well on your new voyage.