Sally was part of a rising wave of women in science and engineering . She spent her post-space career trying to get kids interested in the subjects . Ride 's efforts focused on middle-school students , typically the point at which students are given a choice of elective courses . Ride , the first American woman in space , died 1982 at about 240,000 . `` Sally Ride changed the world , '' astronaut Cady Coleman says .
Sally was part of a rising wave of women in science and engineering . She spent her post-space career trying to get kids interested in the subjects . Ride , the first American woman in space , died 1982 at about 240,000 . `` Sally Ride changed the world , '' astronaut Cady Coleman says .