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Astronaut Sally Ride honored with Reagan Library statue

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Published  July 4, 2023 8:20pm PDT
Simi Valley
FOX 11

4th of July Celebrations around SoCal

Thousands are gathering in downtown Los Angeles for 4th of July celebrations, while astronaut Sally Ride was honored at the Ronald Reagan Library in Simi Valley.

SIMI VALLEY, Calif. - A lot of history was honored at the Ronald Reagan Presidential Library in Simi Valley this 4th of July. 

In addition to the usual Independence Day Celebration, the library unveiled a life-sized bronze statue of astronaut Sally Ride. Ride was the first American woman and the third woman to fly to space back in 1983 when she flew on board the Challenger Shuttle. 

Ride was born in Los Angeles in 1951 and died at the age of 61 in San Diego in 2012. 

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At the statue unveiling Tuesday, her sister "Bear" Ride said she "always had a sense that she was seven feet tall. And now I have proof," adding that her sister was "a trailblazer, and to many, a hero."

Sally Ride has also been honored with a U.S. postage stamp in 2018, and is featured on a U.S. quarter as part of the American Women series in 2022.

The new statue honoring the late astrophysicist is located in the Reagan Library's Peace Through Strength Pavilion.