Sally Takes Another Ride Into History

  They dedicated a statue to Sally Ride on Friday June 17 that now stands in the entrance courtyard of the Cradle Of Aviation Museum in Uniondale, Long Island, New York.
  Created by Colorado-based sculptors and brothers George Lundeen and Mark Lundeen, working with fellow artist, Joey Bainer, the seven foot tall statue is executed in bronze and gold.
  On June 18, 1983, 39 years ago, Sally Ride became the first American woman to launch into space, riding the Space Shuttle STS-7 flight with four other crew members. Only five years earlier, in 1978, she had been selected to the first class of 35 astronauts—including six women—who would fly on the Space Shuttle.
  As the first American woman to travel into space, Sally was a national hero and a powerful role model. She inspired generations of young girls to reach for the stars and later fought tirelessly to help them get there by advocating for a greater focus on science and math in our schools.
  Before she died in 2012 after a 17 month battle with pancreatic cancer Sally Ride was asked how she would like to be remembered:
  “I would like to be remembered as someone who was not afraid to do what she wanted to do, and as someone who took risks along the way in order to achieve her goals,” she said.
  She fulfilled her dreams.
SSA