Giving Compass' Take:

• Retired NASA astronaut Bonnie J. Dunbar shares how Sally Ride has worked to encourage girls to enter STEM fields, in spite of prevalent, outdated stereotypes that often tell girls that they aren't welcome.

• How can philanthropy help to re-write the narrative of women in STEM?

• Learn more about engaging women in STEM.

On June 18, 1983, 35 years ago, Sally Ride became the first American woman to launch into space, riding the Space Shuttle STS-7 flight with four other crew members. Only five years earlier, in 1978, she had been selected to the first class of 35 astronauts — including six women — who would fly on the Space Shuttle.

More than 50 women have now flown into space, most of them Americans. One of these women, Dr. Peggy Whitson, became chief of the Astronaut Office and holds the American record for number of hours in space.

The space shuttle was an amazing flight vehicle: It launched like a rocket into Low Earth Orbit in only eight minutes, and landed softly like a glider after its mission. What is not well known is that the Space Shuttle was an equalizer and enabler, opening up space exploration to a wider population of people from planet Earth.

This inclusive approach began in 1972 when Congress and the president approved the Space Shuttle budget and contract. Spacesuits, seats, and all crew equipment were initially designed for a larger range of sizes to fit all body types, and the waste management system was modified for females. Unlike earlier vehicles, the Space Shuttle could carry up to eight astronauts at a time. It had a design more similar to an airplane than a small capsule, with two decks, sleeping berths, large laboratories, and a galley. It also provided privacy.

When Dr. Sally Ride retired from NASA she founded Imaginary Lines and, later, Sally Ride Science. She hosted science camps throughout the nation, exposing young women and their parents to a variety of STEM career options. Sally Ride Science continues its outreach through the University of California at San Diego.

Read the full article about Sally Ride by Bonnie J. Dunbar at GOOD Magazine.