Who was the first American woman astronaut?
Dr. Sally K. Ride of Stanford, CA was the first American woman astronaut. She served as a crew member aboard the Space Shuttle Challenger when it was launched on June 18, 1983. Valentina V. Tereshkova of the Soviet Union became the first woman from any country to fly in space on June 18, 1983. Source: Famous First Facts: A Record of First Happenings, Discoveries, and Inventions in American History, 1997, p.530, Joseph Nathan Kane, 031.
