The newspaper advert that reached space

Sally Ride’s route to space began with a small notice in a student newspaper.

While completing her studies at Stanford, she saw that NASA was looking for new astronauts, including women.

She applied alongside thousands of candidates and was selected for the 1978 astronaut class.

Five years later, she became the first American woman to travel into space.

The detail changes the usual picture of Sally Ride. A famous life can look inevitable from a distance, but close up it is built from experiments, accidents and small decisions.

Large journeys often begin with one small opportunity noticed at the right moment.