Sally Ride — Questions and answers

Read the full story

On what date did Dr. Sally Ride first go into space aboard the Space Shuttle Challenger?

Choices

  1. A) June 18, 1983 ✓
  2. B) July 4, 1983
  3. C) June 18, 1986
  4. D) May 1, 1983

Answer: A) June 18, 1983

From page 1

Besides being a brilliant scholar, what impressive athletic skill did Sally Ride have?

Choices

  1. A) She was a champion swimmer.
  2. B) She was a nationally ranked tennis player. ✓
  3. C) She was an Olympic gymnast.
  4. D) She was a professional dancer.

Answer: B) She was a nationally ranked tennis player.

From page 2

What important task was Sally Ride the first person to do using the Space Shuttle's Robotic Arm?

Choices

  1. A) Build a new space station.
  2. B) Fix a broken rocket engine.
  3. C) Retrieve a satellite in space. ✓
  4. D) Plant a flag on a planet.

Answer: C) Retrieve a satellite in space.

From page 4

What did the crew do on the Space Shuttle besides dealing with challenges like eating and sleeping in space?

Choices

  1. A) They played video games all day.
  2. B) They watched movies and read books.
  3. C) They conducted experiments in materials science, biology, and Earth observation. ✓
  4. D) They built a new part for the shuttle.

Answer: C) They conducted experiments in materials science, biology, and Earth observation.

From page 5

What was the name of the 50-foot-long robotic arm on the Space Shuttle, designed by Canadian engineers?

Choices

  1. A) The Space Grabber
  2. B) The Astro Arm
  3. C) The Canadarm ✓
  4. D) The Orbital Claw

Answer: C) The Canadarm

From page 6

What type of experiments did Sally Ride and her crew do that could help create new medical breakthroughs?

Choices

  1. A) Studying how plants grow in space.
  2. B) Testing new types of rocket fuel.
  3. C) Pharmaceutical processing experiments. ✓
  4. D) Observing different kinds of rocks.

Answer: C) Pharmaceutical processing experiments.

From page 7

What important role did Sally Ride have after her space missions to help make NASA safer?

Choices

  1. A) She became an astronaut trainer.
  2. B) She designed new space shuttles.
  3. C) She investigated space shuttle disasters. ✓
  4. D) She wrote books about space travel.

Answer: C) She investigated space shuttle disasters.

From page 8

What organization did Sally Ride co-found to inspire girls and young women in science and math?

Choices

  1. A) Girls in Space Club
  2. B) Sally Ride Science ✓
  3. C) Young Astronauts League
  4. D) Future Engineers Program

Answer: B) Sally Ride Science

From page 9

What important message did Sally Ride's work help to prove to people around the world?

Choices

  1. A) That only men can be astronauts.
  2. B) That the sky was not the limit for what people could achieve. ✓
  3. C) That science is too hard for kids.
  4. D) That space travel is only for scientists.

Answer: B) That the sky was not the limit for what people could achieve.

From page 10