1983: Dr. Salley K. Ride became the first US woman in space on the second Challenger and seventh Space Shuttle mission. On 24 June, the craft returned to earth. Ride joined NASA in 1978 as part of Astronaut Group 8, the first class to include women. After completing her training, she served as Capsule Communicator (CapCom) for early shuttle missions and became an expert in operating the shuttle’s robotic arm. On June 18, 1983, she flew on the STS-7 mission aboard Challenger, deploying two communications satellites and the first Shuttle Pallet Satellite (SPAS-1), which she operated with the robotic arm. At 32, she was the youngest American astronaut to fly in space (NASA Image)