Sally's First Space Ride

In 1983 I lived in South River, New Jersey. I was a volunteer contributor to our town's cable TV station Channel 35. Those were the days when cable TV meant pornography. I guess our town was ahead of the times in terms of innovative programming.

At the time I was working with a handful of Princeton University students who were space enthusiasts to produce programming about the space shuttle program. I had viewed the first shuttle launch in 1981 and when I heard that the first U.S. female astronaut was going into space, I knew had to be there. However, I wanted a better vantage point. I decided to use my cable TV connection to get into NASA-Kennedy Space Center's (KSC) press viewing area for the launch. I drove to Florida by myself and situated my temporary home base at a nearby campsite. When I went to the KSC security office, I showed a piece of paper with the Channel 35 logo. I was viewed by personnel with a skeptical but amused look as did students from university papers. We all got in. NASA wanted to accommodate as many people with "reasonable" credentials. I now had access to the wonderful world of the Press.

A little background: I grew up dreaming of being the first Puerto Rican astronaut. In 1978 I had applied when NASA opened its gates to women. I knew my vertical challenge and poor vision would place my paperwork in the circular file but I had to try. Sally Ride succeeded where I had not. I would have loved to have been in her place.

Around the KSC area restaurants and other businesses displayed various signs that proudly announced: "Ride, Sally Ride!" Human space exploration is an exciting field. It has an elegance and aesthetic I appreciate. However, the variety of people who participate and appear at space events add to the experience. As Press, we had access to a building which housed information on experiments and a schedule of events. I walked around with my video equipment and 35mm Minolta SLR camera. I spoke with students who were working on a experiment to be flown on the space shuttle. There was the woman who wore a very creative hat. I think she was a regular in the Press section. I saw Willard Scott and a female TV announcer present updates on the historic event. I enjoyed showing the scene behind the camera operations.

At 7:33 a.m. EDT on June 18, Sally Ride, took her place in history aboard the space shuttle Challenger. It was a beautiful sight to see it aim towards space. The original plan was to have the crew land the vehicle at KSC's new Shuttle Landing Facility. It would be another historic first for this mission. I spent the week between launch and landing touring southern Florida as far as the Keys. I returned to KSC eager for my chance to witness history once again. It was a foggy night with not a lot to do. The bleachers were hard and the anticipation was intense. We stared into the darkness hoping for the weather's cooperation. Finally, it was announced that Challenger would land in California around 10:00 a.m. PDT at Edwards AFB. I never did get another chance to see a space shuttle landing and I always feel that loss.

I was excited to be an eyewitness to history. I never imagined that less than a year later, I would meet Sally Ride and many other astronauts as part of my new job at NASA-JSC in Houston, Texas. My office was in the same building as the astronauts and flight controllers. Those were incredible years for me being part of a very unique family of explorers.