Robert "The Bobby Yaga" McNees @mcnees.bsky.social · 18/06/2025Sally Ride became the first US woman in space #OTD in 1983. She was one of three mission specialists aboard the Space Shuttle Challenger for STS-7. At age 32 she was also the youngest US astronaut. 🧪 🔭 👩🔬 Image: NASA 223067
Robert "The Bobby Yaga" McNees @mcnees.bsky.social · 18/06/2025An important part of Ride’s life and legacy is that she was queer. She did not hide her relationship with Tam O’Shaughnessy, her partner of 27 years, but she was very private about it. Idk if she was the first LGBTQ US astronaut, as someone commented here, but she was the first that we know of. 1478
Robert "The Bobby Yaga" McNees @mcnees.bsky.social · 18/06/2025There is a touching essay by her sister Bear (who is gay, and a minister) about her sister’s “fundamental sense of privacy,” and how people might have been surprised to learn about Ride’s relationship with Tam.nbcnews.comWhy Sally Ride waited until her death to tell the world she was gayIn life, Sally Ride became famous as America's first woman in space — and in death, she's now added to her fame as the first acknowledged gay astronaut.The revelation came in a low-key way: Monday's o... 1233
