(CNN) -- Sally Ride, the
first American woman to fly in space, died Monday after a 17-month battle with
pancreatic cancer, her company said. She was 61.
"Sally lived her
life to the fullest, with boundless energy, curiosity, intelligence, passion,
commitment and love. Her integrity was absolute; her spirit was immeasurable;
her approach to life was fearless," read a statement on the website of Sally
Ride Science, a company she started to help teach students -- particularly
young women and girls -- about science, math and technology.
Ride flew into orbit
aboard the space shuttle Challenger in 1983 to become America's first woman in
space. She took a second trip aboard the same shuttle one year later.
The first woman in
space was Soviet astronaut Valentina Tereshkova, who orbited the earth 48 times
in 1963.
"As the first American woman to travel into space, Sally was
a national hero and a powerful role model," President Barack Obama said soon
after news of her death broke. "She inspired generations of young girls to
reach for the stars and later fought tirelessly to help them get there by
advocating for a greater focus on science and math in our schools. Sally's life
showed us that there are no limits to what we can achieve and I have no doubt
that her legacy will endure for years to come."
A Los Angeles native, Ride attended Stanford
University, where she earned four degrees, including a doctorate in physics,
according to NASA. She joined the agency as part of the class of 1978, the
first to include women. Ride responded to an ad in the Stanford student
newspaper and was selected from some 8,000 applicants.
She was assigned to a third flight, but that was
scratched after the Challenger explosion in 1986, which claimed the lives of
seven crew members on board. Ride helped to investigate that accident and later
served as a special assistant to the NASA administrator for long-range and
strategic planning.
She was the first director of NASA's Office of
Exploration, according to her company.
After leaving the agency, Ride joined the faculty at
the University of California, San Diego, where she was a professor of physics
and director of the California Space Institute. She was also the author of several
books.
She is survived by her partner of 27 years, Tam
O'Shaughnessy, her mother, her sister and other family members.
"Sally Ride broke barriers with grace and
professionalism -- and literally changed the face of America's space
program," said NASA Administrator Charles Bolden. "The nation has
lost one of its finest leaders, teachers and explorers. Our thoughts and
prayers are with Sally's family and the many she inspired. She will be missed,
but her star will always shine brightly."