Latest news with #Ride
National Geographic
4 days ago
- Science
- National Geographic
How Sally Ride blazed a trail for women in space
In June 1983, this barrier-breaking astronaut overcame discriminatory policies—and a sexist society—as the first American woman to launch into orbit. Sally Ride sits in the aft flight deck mission specialist's seat during deorbit preparations. On June 18, 1983, Sally Ride became the first American woman to fly in space when the space shuttle Challenger launched on mission STS-7. As one of the three mission specialists on the mission, Ride played a vital role in helping the crew deploy communications satellites, conduct experiments, and make use of the first Shuttle Pallet Satellite. On June 18, 1983, Sally Ride would become the first American woman to launch into space. She had already survived NASA's grueling training and a barrage of tests, but there was another hurdle to cross before she boarded the Challenger space shuttle—overcoming the scrutiny of the media and the public. In the lead-up to the launch, the astronaut fielded questions about menstruation, fashion, and even whether she might cry in space. Despite long-standing biases about women's ability to withstand the rigors of space flight, here's how Sally Ride broke barriers—and changed the face of the space program along the way. Dive into Ride's journey with the award-winning film Sally, airing on National Geographic June 16 and streaming June 17 on Disney+. Sally Ride's early life and career Born in Los Angeles in 1951, Ride successfully turned a childhood interest in science, spurred in part by a chemistry set, into a storied STEM career. Though she almost pursued a career in tennis—she was a nationally-ranked player as an undergraduate at Swarthmore College and then Stanford University—the young Ride instead opted for a career in astrophysics. Ride was completing her doctorate at Stanford when she saw the newspaper ad that would change her life—and the history of space flight. NASA was recruiting for its 1978 class, and for the first time, women were invited to apply. Though women had already been to space—Soviet cosmonaut Valentina Tereshkova had paved the way in 1963—NASA had long resisted the idea of women astronauts. In the early 1960s, 13 women participated in a privately funded program designed to test whether women could succeed in space. But though the group passed the same set of tests as NASA astronauts, the Woman in Space Program was ditched in 1962. (Here's why women may be best suited for spaceflight.) That year, during Congressional hearings on the feasibility of sending women to space, astronauts John Glenn and Scott Carpenter testified against the program, claiming women were not qualified because they were not military test pilots—a longstanding requirement for NASA astronauts—even though that profession, too, was closed to women. But by the time Ride applied to the agency in 1978, NASA had dropped that requirement. As Ride read the ad's list of applicant qualifications, she realized that, in her words, 'I'm one of those people.' Indeed, she was one of six women selected for the class of 35 out of an applicant pool of 8,000. The Challenger shuttle lifts off from the launch pad at Kennedy Space Center in Florida on June 18, 1983. With this historic launch, Sally Ride became America's first female astronaut to go into space. This was Challenger's second mission and the seventh space shuttle launch. Photograph by Robert Alexander, Archive Photos/Getty Sally Ride and her fellow women astronauts kept their heads down and tried their best not to garner special attention. Five years later, after mastering various behind-the-scenes roles at mission control and helping develop the International Space Station's robotic arm, Ride was chosen as a crew member for mission STS-7, a June 1983 flight on the Challenger shuttle. (Read how Ride helped inspire this astronaut hopeful.) The media and NASA itself struggled to figure out what to make of the personable, straightforward scientist. As it prepared for the flight, NASA suggested she take 100 tampons for a week-long mission and even created a makeup kit for her to take to space. (She didn't.) Meanwhile, the media barraged her with frivolous questions. 'Everybody wanted to know what kind of makeup I was taking up—they didn't care about how well-prepared I was to operate the arm or deploy communication satellites,' Ride had told feminist leader and political activist Gloria Steinem in a 1983 interview. Despite the pressure, Ride's first flight—a six-day satellite deployment and retrieval mission—was a success, landing at Edwards Air Force Base on June 24, 1983. So was her second mission, an eight-day flight in 1984. And though Ride's third flight was canceled after the Challenger was lost, she continued to work for NASA. She retired from NASA in 1989, becoming a professor of physics at the University of California, San Diego, and director of the University of California Space Institute. She later created her own company, Sally Ride Science, designed to encourage girls and women to pursue STEM careers. Sally Ride stands near the monodisperse latex reactor experiment and displays the array of tools at her disposal on the mid deck of the Earth-orbiting Space Shuttle Challenger. Ride and four other astronauts aboard shared duties aboard the reusable spacecraft. Astronaut Sally Ride communicates with ground controllers from the mid deck of the Earth-orbiting Space Shuttle Challenger. Ride monitored the continuous flow electrophoresis system experiment during the mission. Ride broke barriers in life and in death. On July 23, 2012, she died of pancreatic cancer at just 61—and the obituary that she had prepared prior to her death included a line about her 27-year-long relationship with a woman, her business partner Tam O'Shaughnessy. Coming out during her life 'doesn't seem to have occurred to her and certainly would have jeopardized her chance to go to space if not killed it outright,' wrote Ann Friedman for The American Prospect, noting that as late as 1990, seven years after Ride first went to space, NASA had made moves to disqualify people from the space program based on their sexual orientation. Though that rule was never passed and the agency now has an office dedicated to its LGBTQ employees, there has never been an openly LGBTQ astronaut. In 2013, Ride was posthumously awarded Ride the Presidential Medal of Freedom by President Barack Obama. There have been other American women in space, however—more than 40 of them—and in 2019, American astronauts completed a historic all-woman spacewalk. 'Now people don't notice there are women going up on space shuttle flights,' Ride said in 2002. 'It's happening all the time.' Today, the very normalcy of women's participation in the space program is a testament to Ride's pioneering career—and, by 2024, NASA may even land the first woman on the moon as part of its upcoming Artemis mission. Sally begins airing on National Geographic June 16 and streams on Disney+ June 17. Check local listings. Sally Ride's iconic flight jacket. Ride wore this uniform on her historic first ride into space on June 18, 1983, with the STS-7 space shuttle mission. Photograph by Mackenzie Calle, Nat Geo Image Collection In 2019, Sally Ride's image was immortalized in a Barbie doll. Ride serves as a role model for generations of young women. Photograph by Mackenzie Calle, Nat Geo Image Collection
Yahoo
6 days ago
- Business
- Yahoo
Tap. Ride. Go! Metro launches new contactless payment system
WASHINGTON () — Since last year, the Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority (WMATA) has been working on launching its tap-and-go payment option. Now, the new feature is available for passengers. Metro announced Wednesday that passengers looking to ride the Metro can simply tap their credit or debit cards, phone or smartwatch virtual cards at rail station fare gates. Metro noted that the contactless payment will only work where fare gates have the tap symbol. The 'Tap. Go. Ride' option will be available on Metrobuses and Metro parking facilities in the future. However, SmarTrip cards will continue to be an option for passengers to use to pay fares and parking. Metro tests new system to make train travel more convenient The transit authority said the new system will benefit tourists and customers who want to avoid fare machines or SmarTrip cards. The launch of fits into our strategic vision of enhancing service efficiency and accessibility. We expect that open payment will offer increased convenience for our customers — especially visitors to our National Capital Region — making it easier to access Metro, simplify their travel experience, and explore the region. This innovation is designed to modernize the customer journey and elevate Metro to world-class standards for seamless transportation.' Metro Board of Directors Chair Valerie Santos. Customers must use the same card to tap in and tap out of the system. Each customer needs their own card. The same card cannot be used for multiple people on the same trip. Take out one card to tap at the fare gate. Do not tap a wallet with multiple cards or a physical wallet on the back of a phone with a virtual credit card as it may charge both cards. Customers can visit the and enter a debit or credit card number to view Tap. Ride. Go. transactions. Any customer can use their contactless credit or debit card to pay at the fare gates, however, those who have fare discounts or will still have to use their designated SmarTrip cards. Free transfers from rail to bus will not be available until Tap. Ride. Go. launches on Metrobus fareboxes in the future. We encourage customers who use the system regularly to continue using SmarTrip cards and to register the card at to easily access their account information. Customers will also only be able to get their annual ridership statistics through by using their SmarTrip card. For more information on Tap. Ride. Go., click here. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
CNET
7 days ago
- Business
- CNET
Hallmark Left Peacock, but I Found a Cool Replacement for Fans. And It's Free
Have you heard the news? The three-year programming deal between Hallmark and Peacock has officially ended, meaning the studio's collection of small-town romances and holiday movies can no longer be viewed on NBC's streaming platform. Wipe that tear from your eye, friend. I've got a solution and it's absolutely free. Allow me to introduce you to Hoopla, a digital entertainment app that has a packed content slate of everything from audiobooks, podcasts and movies to TV shows, music and classes. You can thank your local public library for this cost-free treasure trove. This brings me back to Hallmark. The channel's entire programming collection can be found here; it's available through the platform's Hallmark Plus BingePass. With this feature, you can borrow premium content for seven days. Get ready to binge all the festive love stories your heart can take. This is the perfect way to catch up if you're behind on hit shows like Ride and When Calls the Heart. It's all ad-free with just a click of a button. Read more: 13 Hit Movies You Really Should Add to Your Peacock Watch List First, you'll need to sign up for the Hallmark Plus BingePass on Hoopla is a valid library card and email address. Go to the Hoopla website (or download the mobile app) and follow the steps to sign up. Keep your library card on hand because you may be asked for your card number and PIN. You can sign up for one if you don't have a library card. Once you complete the setup process for your Hoopla account, you'll be able to start streaming. From there, pick the Hallmark Plus BingePass option from the BingePass prompt to watch. Not all libraries support Hoopla, so I recommend checking with your local branch to see if the service is available. If you'd rather not rely on the library to scratch that feel-good movie itch, you can try Pluto TV and watch its curated channel that is devoted to all things Hallmark. Want the entire library and don't mind paying? You can always sign up for Hallmark Plus — the channel's exclusive streaming platform — for $8 a month or $80 a year. A paid subscription gets you access to Hallmark's content library along with all-new exclusive original series and movies. Extra perks, as listed on the Hallmark Plus website, include a Hallmark Gold Crown Store coupon, Crown Rewards points, unlimited eCards and exclusive surprises.
Edmonton Journal
21-05-2025
- Politics
- Edmonton Journal
Royal tour 2025: Here's what King Charles III and Queen Camilla are doing in Canada
Article content King Charles will also be joined by Viceregal representatives, community groups and school groups for a ceremonial tree planting. The rest of the day includes an audience with Simon and Prime Minister Mark Carney. The Liberal leader extended the invitation to King Charles on a visit to the U.K. immediately after his swearing in as Canada's prime minister in mid-March. 'That clearly underscores the sovereignty of our country,' Carney said when the visit was first announced. Tuesday, May 27 Day two of their visit begins at the Bank of Canada with a ride down Wellington Street aboard Canada's State Landau — a luxury 19th-century carriage — and accompanied by RCMP Musical Ride horses. On their last visit in 2022 to mark the Platinum Jubilee of Queen Elizabeth II, Charles and Camilla visited the home of the ceremonial equine team to meet riders and attend a special performance. His Majesty was appointed an honorary commissioner of the RCMP in 2012. In 2023, he was presented with Noble, a horse given to him by the RCMP to mark his acceptance of the role of Commissioner-in-Chief of the RCMP during a ceremony at Windsor Castle in England.
Buzz Feed
19-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Buzz Feed
Overcompensating's Benito Skinner & Mary Beth Barone Play Celebrity Guess Who
Benito Skinner and Mary Beth Barone are riding for Celebrity Guess Who. You might know the comics as longtime BFFs and co-hosts of the popular podcast Ride. Recently, though, they took their partnership to the next level, co-starring in the hit new Prime Video comedy Overcompensating. The series, which just dropped in full on the streamer, stars Benito as Benny, a closeted former homecoming king who is struggling to come to terms with his identity while away at college. Mary Beth plays Benny's older (and not always supportive) sister Grace who attends the same school. To celebrate the series, the two comedy icons stopped by to play "Celebrity Guess Who." Whether it was determining if Megan Fox would ever breed snakes or where exactly they had a meal with Connie Britton, they revealed themselves to be just as competitive as they are hilarious. Plus, they kissed for good measure. So watch the video below: And stream Overcompensating on Prime Video now!
