The idea of a woman in space, Sherr writes, confounded many Americans. The NASA that Ride entered was a male-dominated culture rooted in the can-do world of military test pilots. She was, briefly, the most famous person on the planet." Her achievement, and the celebrity that resulted, captivated and inspired several generations of admirers. "She also remains the youngest American ever launched. "Sally Ride was not the first woman in orbit - two Russians had gotten there before her - but she was the first American woman in space, with the attendant publicity and allure of the free world," Sherr writes. At a time when a woman is the leading candidate for president in 2016 and women routinely run nations and businesses, it is easy to forget a time when Ride's accomplishment was very big news. Ride was the first American woman in space, an accomplishment that becomes more important in the hands of Lynn Sherr writing in Sally Ride: America's First Woman in Space. First woman on the moon? No, that hasn't happened at all. First woman in space? No, that happened 20 years earlier with Valentina Tereshkova. More than 30 years after gaining the world's notice, Sally Ride remains an iconic figure, although her accomplishment remains a little fuzzy.
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