I feel saddened by the passing of Dr. Sally Ride and impressed by her legacy. She was the first American woman astronaut and forged ahead despite public putdowns regarding the innate inabilities of a woman in a male-dominated field. Equally impressive to me was her stance as a panel member investigating the tragic blowup of the Challenger space shuttle shortly after takeoff and the resulting deaths of all of the crew. Dr. Ride asked tough questions and was morally outraged at the refusal of NASA administrators to take seriously earlier warnings about the O-rings instability that caused the blowup. I'm glad that I came of age when she did. I have respected her and benefitted from her role as a professional.
