Thank you for this exceptionally great article. Dr. Ride was also a PhD in physics from Stanford University. She sat with Neil Armstrong, Richard Feynman, PhD, General Charles (Chuck) Yeager, and other notable names, on the Rogers Commission. My sources indicate that Dr. Ride played a crucial role in divulging the internal NASA data on the history of burn-through of the O-rings, the flaw that doomed the Challenger. The final Rogers Commission report also identified the flawed, male-dominated decision structure prior to launch. Perhaps Dr. Ride’s experience as a member of the LGBTQ population gave her the strong independence to voice independent thinking.
I love science fiction, and I'm a Star Trek fan. I appreciated the stories they told and the characters that were created in the stories.
While I haven't attended a conference where the actors talk about their experiences and what being on the show meant to them, I watched some. Kate Mulgrew, the actor that played Captain Kathryn Janeway on Star Trek Voyager, said that young women would come up to her and say that she was their inspiration to go into sciences or become a software engineer. Whatever makes you think outside of yourself and fans a desire to reach for a dream is wonderful, regardless of the path.
I wonder if these women are being taught about female heroes in school. There are so many throughout history. Must you wait until attending college to learn about inspirational women? Sally Ride was an inspiration, as were the many women who were in the background, keeping mission control going during a launch and flight. Sally Ride paved the way for more women astronauts to achieve their dream, just as other women in history paved the way for women to choose what they wanted to do with their lives.
I love the Ride, Sally Ride, and appreciate the reference. Very cool. I also relate to the lack of respect towards women by the use of their first names. Remember Trump and Hillary, anyone?
I have a PhD, and in professional settings, so many people want to call me "Carol," or "Dr. Carol." Other then Dr. Phil, who, for marketing purposes I assume, wants to be warm and approachable, men are almost always called "Dr. Last name." And yes, I do ask people to call me Dr. Clark. It denotes respect and justifies my fees:)
An entertaining column, J.C. You're a better man than I am, though. Had I been the managing director of the newspaper and the copy desk editor had tried to over rule me on such a great headline as "Ride, Sally, Ride" I would have had to pull rank and say the headline stays. I never worked for a newspaper, so I'm assuming the copy desk editor works for the managing editor. Oh, and I also think there should be an award for great headlines. A French newspaper ran the headline "France is a Widow" when DeGaulle died and a NYC newspaper used the headline "The King is Dead" to announce the passing of Elvis. (No last name for Elvis, either.)
Sally Ride was great, but your reference to the Challenger deaths in 1986 brought to mind a memory. On its return to Earth, the news informed me where and when to look to grasp a sight of the shuttle's return flight. Instead, what I saw was a shower of illuminated particles that puzzled and alarmed me. The next day we learned the sad news. That feeling of grief never goes away.
Perhaps you're thinking of the Columbia, which blew up on re-entry, and not the Challenger, which blew up on liftoff. Both tragedies. And yes, the grief remains.
Thank you for this exceptionally great article. Dr. Ride was also a PhD in physics from Stanford University. She sat with Neil Armstrong, Richard Feynman, PhD, General Charles (Chuck) Yeager, and other notable names, on the Rogers Commission. My sources indicate that Dr. Ride played a crucial role in divulging the internal NASA data on the history of burn-through of the O-rings, the flaw that doomed the Challenger. The final Rogers Commission report also identified the flawed, male-dominated decision structure prior to launch. Perhaps Dr. Ride’s experience as a member of the LGBTQ population gave her the strong independence to voice independent thinking.
I love science fiction, and I'm a Star Trek fan. I appreciated the stories they told and the characters that were created in the stories.
While I haven't attended a conference where the actors talk about their experiences and what being on the show meant to them, I watched some. Kate Mulgrew, the actor that played Captain Kathryn Janeway on Star Trek Voyager, said that young women would come up to her and say that she was their inspiration to go into sciences or become a software engineer. Whatever makes you think outside of yourself and fans a desire to reach for a dream is wonderful, regardless of the path.
I wonder if these women are being taught about female heroes in school. There are so many throughout history. Must you wait until attending college to learn about inspirational women? Sally Ride was an inspiration, as were the many women who were in the background, keeping mission control going during a launch and flight. Sally Ride paved the way for more women astronauts to achieve their dream, just as other women in history paved the way for women to choose what they wanted to do with their lives.
how about RIDE, Sally Ride!
I love the Ride, Sally Ride, and appreciate the reference. Very cool. I also relate to the lack of respect towards women by the use of their first names. Remember Trump and Hillary, anyone?
I have a PhD, and in professional settings, so many people want to call me "Carol," or "Dr. Carol." Other then Dr. Phil, who, for marketing purposes I assume, wants to be warm and approachable, men are almost always called "Dr. Last name." And yes, I do ask people to call me Dr. Clark. It denotes respect and justifies my fees:)
Thanks for the earworm! The Commitments version is my favorite. Thank you also for the tribute to an excellent pioneer in space.
An entertaining column, J.C. You're a better man than I am, though. Had I been the managing director of the newspaper and the copy desk editor had tried to over rule me on such a great headline as "Ride, Sally, Ride" I would have had to pull rank and say the headline stays. I never worked for a newspaper, so I'm assuming the copy desk editor works for the managing editor. Oh, and I also think there should be an award for great headlines. A French newspaper ran the headline "France is a Widow" when DeGaulle died and a NYC newspaper used the headline "The King is Dead" to announce the passing of Elvis. (No last name for Elvis, either.)
Sally Ride was great, but your reference to the Challenger deaths in 1986 brought to mind a memory. On its return to Earth, the news informed me where and when to look to grasp a sight of the shuttle's return flight. Instead, what I saw was a shower of illuminated particles that puzzled and alarmed me. The next day we learned the sad news. That feeling of grief never goes away.
Perhaps you're thinking of the Columbia, which blew up on re-entry, and not the Challenger, which blew up on liftoff. Both tragedies. And yes, the grief remains.
Yes, that must be so. Thanks for the correction.
This one is lovely! Thanks for the memory.