Q: Who was the first American woman to go into space?
A: Dr. Sally Ride became the first American woman to go into space in 1983. At the time, she was also the youngest person to go into space. Ride joined NASA in 1978, after answering a newspaper ad seeking applicants for the space program. She was preceded in space by two Soviet women. She is president and CEO of Sally Ride Science, a company she founded that creates science programs and publications for young people, with a focus on girls.