Sally Ride, First American Woman To Fly In Space, Dies

Sally Ride

(CNN) — Sally Ride, the first American woman to fly in space, died Monday after a 17-month battle with pancreatic cancer.

Sally Ride Science made the announcement on its website.

Dr. Ride was 61 years old.

Dr. Ride became the first American woman to fly in space on June 18, 1983.

She founded Sally Ride Science in 2001 to create programs to inspire children to learn and enjoy science.