Obama Awards Presidential Medal of Freedom to Sally Ride

President Barack Obama awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom on Wednesday to Sally Ride, the first American woman in space.

"Sally didn't just break the stratospheric glass ceiling, she blasted through it," Obama said during a press conference.

Ride, who passed away in 2012, was first and foremost a scientist. Armed with a Ph.D. in Physics from Stanford, she applied for the astronaut program after seeing an ad for NASA in her local newspaper

After her first space flight 30 years ago, Ride dedicated much of her time to promoting science and math education for young girls, a platform she championed until her death. Read more...