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Tickets still available to hear first woman in space speak

Written by Joan Khalaf, The Shorthorn senior staff

Monday, 08 February 2010 06:37 PM

Sally Ride, the first American woman in space, will speak at 8 p.m. on Feb. 15 in Texas Hall as a part of the Maverick Speakers Series. (Courtesy Photo: Media Relations)

Only about 200 tickets are available to hear the first American woman in space.

Sally Ride’s speech, at 8 p.m. Feb. 15 in Texas Hall, complements the College of Engineering’s 50th anniversary celebration, said Danny Woodward, special assistant to the president.

“She doesn’t make a lot of speeches anymore, so we were fortunate to get her,” he said.

Ride will discuss the future of the American space program. With President Barack Obama’s recent announcement in cutting funding to NASA, Woodward said the speech would be especially compelling.

Lynn Peterson, College of Engineering associate dean, said the college is very excited about her appearance, especially since it happens at the start of Engineer’s Week.

“We were hoping to be able to find someone to help us highlight the week, who would be a familiar name,” she said. “But also, someone that would be interesting to students.”

Maverick Speaker Series: Sally Ride

Where: Texas Hall
When: 8 p.m.

Tickets available at www.utatickets.com
Admission: Free

Ride also has connections to university alumni and former astronauts Robert Stewart and Kalpana Chawla.

Peterson said Ride seems to be willing to interact with the audience and answer questions.

Ride was a mission specialist on the Orbiter Challenger’s second flight in 1983, which was the first mission with a five-person crew. In 2001, she started Sally Ride Science, which is a company that pushes and motivates young women to pursue careers in science-related fields.

She currently teaches at the University of California at San Diego and is part of the National Women’s Hall of Fame and the United States Astronaut Hall of Fame, according to nasa.gov.