Torch, Olympic (and plaque), Sally Ride

Object Details

Owner
Sally K. Ride
Summary
This torch and accompanying plaque are from Dr. Sally K. Ride's participation in the 2002 Olympic Torch Relay which preceded the Winter Games in Salt Lake City. The photograph shows her carrying the torch through San Diego, CA on January 14, 2002. The theme for torchbearers that year was "Inspire"-- torchbearers were nominated on the basis of how they inspired others.
Sally Ride became the first American woman in space when she flew aboard STS-7 in 1983. Her second and last space mission was STS-41G in 1984. A physicist with a Ph.D., she joined the astronaut corps in 1978 as a part of the first class of astronauts recruited specifically for the Space Shuttle Program. Viewed as a leader in the NASA community, she served on the Rogers Commission after the Challenger disaster in 1986 as well as the Columbia Accident Investigation Board (CAIB) in 2003. She also led the task force that produced a visionary strategic planning report in 1987 titled, “NASA Leadership and America’s Future in Space,” but known popularly as the Ride Report.
After she retired from NASA in 1987, Dr. Ride taught first at Stanford and later at the University of California, San Diego. Until her death in 2012, she was president and CEO of Sally Ride Science, a company that promoted science education.
Dr. Ride’s partner, Dr. Tam O’Shaughnessy, donated the torch and plaque to the Museum in 2013.
Country of Origin
United States of America
See more items in
National Air and Space Museum Collection
Credit Line
Gift of Tam O'Shaughnessy
Data Source
National Air and Space Museum
Inventory Number
A20140199000
Type
MEMORABILIA-Events
Restrictions & Rights
CC0
Materials
Wood
Synthetic Veneer
Synthetic Printed Decals
Non-Magnetic White Metal
Copper Alloy
Iron Alloy
Glass
Photograph
Plastic
Dimensions
Torch Overall: 10.2 × 83.8cm (4 × 33 in.)
Board Overall: 36.8 × 74.9 × 15.2cm (14 1/2 × 29 1/2 × 6 in.)
GUID
http://n2t.net/ark:/65665/nv9f407beff-a140-40d4-8e39-54ca6f9daf6c
Record ID
nasm_A20140199000