America’s first woman in space, Dr. Sally Ride (1951–2012) made history as a pioneering astronaut, brilliant scientist, and dedicated educator.

Last week, US Postmaster General and CEO Megan J. Brennan led a First-day-of-issue dedication ceremony for the Sally Ride Forever stamp at the University of California San Diego.

Joining Brennan at the launch were Billie Jean King, tennis legend and champion of social justice, and friend of Sally Ride; Ellen Ochoa, first Hispanic woman in space and director of the Johnson Space Center, and friend of Sally Ride; Tam O’Shaughnessy, co-founder and executive director of Sally Ride Science at University of California San Diego, and widow of Sally Ride; and Becky Petitt, vice chancellor for Equity, Diversity and Inclusion, University of California San Diego.

On June 18, 1983, Ride launched through Earth’s atmosphere aboard space shuttle Challenger, becoming the first American woman to reach space.

For six days, she worked closely with her four male crewmates, proving to the world below that women were just as adept as their male counterparts in the final frontier.

Ride was the only person to sit on the investigative panels for both the Challenger and Columbia accidents. As a professor, she used her experience as an astronaut to explain complicated physics principles.

In 2001, she co-founded a company devoted to fostering interest and skills in science, technology, engineering, and math among young people, particularly girls.

Through her love of science and determination to improve our world, Ride left a lasting impact on generations of students and the future of American space exploration.