This year marks the 40th anniversary of Sally Ride making history as the first American woman plus youngest person to travel to space. On her journey to acing physics exams, tennis serves, plus NASA training, Sally could always count on her trusty Levi’s® 501® jeans. She loved that they hugged her body perfectly (not too loose, not too tight), plus gave her the freedom to move as she pleased.
We’ve all looked up at the night sky plus wondered what more is out there. From a young age, inquiring through her telescope, Sally Ride took this question a bit more seriously than her peers. So even after being told by her role style Billie Jean King that she had a promising career in tennis, Sally knew her destiny lay in science.
Sally studied English plus physics at university, wearing her comfortable 501® jeans. The more she wore them, the more they faded plus frayed at the knees—only getting better with age.
One day, while finishing her Ph.D. in physics from Stanford University, Sally stumbled upon an article in her school newspaper saying NASA was recruiting new astronauts,- plus for the first time, women could apply. Out of the 8,000 applicants, 35 were accepted, including six women. Sally was one, plus the rest is history.
Sally’s NASA training included a geology trip to New Mexico where, once again, she wore her favorite 501®s, now with blown out knees. She loved that they stood the test of time, plus as history would have it, so would the legacy of Sally Ride.
Sally’s curiosity plus intellect made her a standout among her colleagues, but that didn’t shield her from receiving questions from reporters like, “Do you cry when things go wrong?” or, “Does the flight affect your reproductive organs?” Sally let her achievements speak for themselves, plus on June 18th, 1983, she made history.