This year’s Pride month coincides with the 40th anniversary of the first member of the LGBTQIA+ community going to space.

On June 18, 1983, Sally Ride became the first American woman in space. She blasted off aboard the Space Shuttle Challenger on a six-day mission that included astronauts Dick Scobee, Robert Crippen, Fred Haise and Marc Garneau.

Ms Ride was among the first women selected by Nasa in 1978 as part of a new push for female and minority astronauts.

Are you LGBTQIA+ and working in STEM?

Metro.co.uk and New Scientist Jobs have teamed up to conduct a global survey of LGBTQIA+ experiences in STEM industries, and we want to hear from you.

Click here to take part.

She was also the first LGBTQIA+ astronaut to go to space – however, her sexual orientation was not publicly known until after her death.

In 2012, nearly a year after her passing, Sally Ride’s obituary in her hometown newspaper mentioned that she was survived by her partner of 27 years, Tam O’Shaughnessy, who was also a close friend and collaborator.

This revelation made Ms Ride the first known LGBTQIA+ astronaut. While she did not come out publicly during her lifetime, her posthumous disclosure has made her a pioneering figure for the queer community.

Her flight to space was a historic moment for queer women in science and engineering.

‘It was a great day for America,’ said Ms Ride’s former crewmate, Dick Scobee. ‘It was a great day for Sally, and it was a great day for women in this country.’

During her time in space, Ms Ride conducted a number of science experiments. She also helped to deploy two communications satellites.

‘It was an amazing experience,’ said Ms Ride after her flight. ‘I felt like I was on top of the world.’

In addition to her accomplishments in space, Ms Ride was a strong advocate for science education. She founded Sally Ride Science, an organisation that promotes science education for girls and young women.

Since Ms Ride’s pioneering flight a number of astronauts have chosen to come out as LGBTQIA+ after their space missions. In 2019, Anne McClain, a Nasa astronaut, publicly shared her identity after her return from a six-month mission on the International Space Station (ISS).

Source: Read Full Article