[Al Skierkiewicz]

I just received the news that Astronaut Sally ride died today after a long battle with pancreatic cancer.

“Sally Ride broke barriers with grace and professionalism - and literally changed the face of America's space program," NASA administrator Charles Bolden, a former astronaut, said in a statement.

“She will be missed, but her star will always shine brightly," Bolden said.

Sally was an inspiration for many of us (myself included) as we looked for the opportunity to do something that was beyond our reach. Sally first went to space in 1983 and then followed that again a year later.