Last night, NASA and Sally Ride Science held ” Sally Ride : A Lifetime of Accomplishment, A Champion of Science Literacy,” a national tribute to America’s first woman in space. The special event was held at the Concert Hall of the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts, 2700 F Street, N.W., Washington, D.C., at 7 p.m. EDT. It was a wonderful event celebrating Ride and her work with the space program as well as her work promoting math and science for students.

In other news, President Barack Obama will bestow the Medal of Freedom posthumously on Sally Ride, the first American woman to fly in space.

Obama says Ride was a role model to young women and showed that achievement has no limits. He says Ride advocated for innovation in science, engineering and math.

Ride rode on the space shuttle Challenger on June 18, 1983. She died in July 2012 at 61 after a long battle with pancreatic cancer.

Ride broke another barrier by disclosing that she was gay at the end of an obituary she co-wrote with her same-sex partner before her death. The White House says Ride’s partner was notified last week of the award along with her mother and sister.

The award will be presented later this year.

Source: Associated Press