May 26th - Sally Ride Day

Sally Kristen Ride was born on May 26th 1951 in Los Angeles, California where she continues to live today. Sally is an American physicist and a former NASA astronaut who, in 1983, became the first American woman and youngest American (at the time) to enter space. Ride among eight thousand others applied to be an astronaut in 1977. Six women, including Sally Ride, were selected for a group of 35 new astronauts in 1978.

Space was not Sally’s first love. As a child she had always dreamed of becoming a professional tennis player, but when she went to college, she discovered physics and was intrigued. She earned a PhD in physics and shortly before joining NASA she earned a degree in astrophysics.

Sally flew into space again in 1984. She has cumulatively spent more than 343 hours in space. When asked about space travel, Sally said, "The thing that I'll remember most about the flight is that it was fun. In fact, I'm sure it was the most fun I'll ever have in my life."

In 2001, Ride founded Sally Ride Science, a company dedicated to supporting girls’ and boys’ interests in science, math and technology. Ride currently serves as the organization's President & CEO.

Sally Ride has also written or co-written five books on space, aimed at children with the goal of encouraging children to study science.


To celebrate this day with your family make your very own little rocket ship.


Paper Rocket

What you need:
Large plastic drinking straws
Cellophane tape
Paper
Scissors

What to do:
Cut 4 strips from a 8 1/2 X 11 inch sheet of paper.
Fold in half.
Tape, leaving 1 inch untaped at the bottom.
Fold and tape to a point at the top.
Tear paper on untaped end to make fins.
Put the straw in the end that is not taped.
Now have the children blow on the straw, and their rockets will fly.

How far can your rocket fly? Compare flight distances.
Place boxes at various distances and have the children aim and try to land their rockets in a designated box.


Another fun craft to make


Star Gazer

What you need:
Two-liter plastic bottle
Black construction paper
Tape
Thumb tack
White copy paper

What to do:

Draw four different constellations on the 4 outer edges of a piece of white copy paper. Cut off the bottom of a 2-ltr bottle. Wrap a black piece of construction paper around the bottle and secure with tape. Grab a piece of black construction paper and a thumb tack (with a grip on the end). Lay the white copy on top of the black paper. Use the thumb tack to poke a hole through each star (dot) to make a constellation. Look through the pour spout on the plastic bottle. While holding it with one hand, use the other hand to hold the black paper up to the cut end of bottle. Position one of the punched-out "constellations" in the middle of the cut hole and look upward to a light source.


To honor the great Sally Ride encourage your children to think about outer space and read them this cute little poem before tucking them in bed tonight.

Last Night I Slept in Outer Space

by

Lynn M Duriga

Last night I slept in outer space

With my head upon the moon

In a galaxy of strange design Though I never left my room

My rocket ship was right near by

Ready -- just like I’d planned it

In case I decided to visit the sun

Or perhaps that red-ringed planet

Solar systems swirled all around me

And stars glowed bright in the dark

There was even one galaxy down near my feet that was shaped like a big question mark

A flying saucer was part of the mix

It was parked close beside the Big Dipper A purplish moon and asteroids too

Completed the heavenly star-studded view.
Tonight though, I won’t be falling asleep In that wonderful outer space place

I have to exchange that adventurous scheme

For another more worldly theme.

A safari perhaps – an African dream

Of zebras, giraffes and the jungle Or maybe instead, a blue coral reef

Where the waves of the ocean will lull me to sleep.
Maybe you’ve guessed why tonight will be different

And why I won’t sleep among stars

Why a jungle safari or coral reef fishes

Will replace solar systems and Mars

When I pull up the covers, and my day starts to dim

Then the place that I’m likely to find myself in

Is inspired by soft, cool, cottony covers

Where images dance and ideas hover

Fanciful thoughts then fill up my head

And all because Mom changed the sheets on my bed!