Oxygen Mask, Helmet, Aviator, Sally K. Ride
Object Details
- Astronaut
- Sally K. Ride
- Owner
- Sally K. Ride
- Manufacturer
- Sierra Engineering Co.
- Summary
- This aviator helmet belonged to Dr. Sally K. Ride, who became the first American woman in space when she flew on the STS-7 shuttle mission in 1983. As a scientist astronaut rather than a pilot, Ride trained for flight in the backseat of a Northrop T-38 training jet, learning navigation and communication procedures. This is one of the helmets she wore on those flights. She so enjoyed the experience of flying that she took private lessons and earned her pilot license. Dr. Ride’s partner, Dr. Tam O’Shaughnessy, donated this helmet to the Museum in 2013.
- A physicist with a Ph.D., Sally Ride joined the astronaut corps in 1978 in the first class of astronauts recruited specifically for the Space Shuttle Program. Her second and last space mission was STS-41G in 1984. Viewed as a leader in the NASA community, she served on the Rogers Commission after the Challenger accident in 1986 as well as the Columbia Accident Investigation Board (CAIB) in 2003. She also led the task force that produced a visionary strategic plan in 1987, titled “NASA Leadership and America’s Future in Space,” known popularly as the "Ride Report." After she left NASA in 1987, Dr. Ride taught first at Stanford and later at the University of California, San Diego, where she also served as the director of the California Space Institute. From 2001 until her death in 2012, she was president and CEO of Sally Ride Science, a company she founded to promote science education.
- Credit Line
- Gift of Tam O'Shaughnessy
- Inventory Number
- A20140337001
- Restrictions & Rights
- Usage conditions apply
- Type
- PERSONAL EQUIPMENT
- Materials
- Plastic
- Iron Alloy
- Copper Alloy
- Non-magnetic Metal
- Rubber
- Foam
- Adhesive
- Nylon
- Electronic Components
- Dimensions
- 3-D (Tube): 45.7 × 2.5cm (1 ft. 6 in. × 1 in.)
- 3-D (Mask): 10.2 × 13.3 × 12.7cm (4 × 5 1/4 × 5 in.)
- Country of Origin
- United States of America
- See more items in
- National Air and Space Museum Collection
- National Air and Space Museum
- Record ID
- nasm_A20140337001
- Metadata Usage (text)
- Not determined
- GUID (Link to Original Record)
- http://n2t.net/ark:/65665/nv9f1942f0a-50c1-4f29-841c-dee93987a720
Related Content
There are restrictions for re-using this image. For more information, visit the Smithsonian's Terms of Use page .
International media Interoperability Framework
IIIF provides researchers rich metadata and media viewing options for comparison of works across cultural heritage collections. Visit the IIIF page to learn more.