Talk to “Sally Ride”
What STEM event would be complete without a visit from an astronaut? Or in this case, WashingtonExec reporter Ariel Robinson, who channeled the great space pioneer Sally Ride. The Los Angeles-born physicist became the first American woman to go to space, in 1983. But she wasn’t the first woman in space. That distinction belongs to former Soviet cosmonaut Valentina Tereshkova, who flew into orbit as part of the Vostok 6 mission of June 16, 1963. Since Ride’s own historic mission, more than 40 women have flown to orbit as NASA astronauts. These include Sandy Magnus, who has spoken at STEM Symposium events in years past.