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This Week in NASA History: Launch of STS-7, 1st US Woman in Space – June 18, 1983

Sally Ride on the flight deck of Challenger.
This week in 1983, space shuttle Challenger, mission STS-7, launched on a six-day mission to deploy two communications satellites, one for Canada and one for Indonesia. This was the first time the shuttle flew with a crew of five and the first time a U.S. woman was in space.

This week in 1983, space shuttle Challenger, mission STS-7, launched on a six-day mission to deploy two communications satellites, one for Canada and one for Indonesia. This was the first time the shuttle flew with a crew of five and the first time a U.S. woman was in space. Here, Sally Ride is seen on the flight deck of Challenger. Today, NASA’s Marshall Space Flight Center is playing a vital role in the Artemis program by developing the Space Launch System, the backbone of NASA’s exploration plans and the only rocket capable of sending humans to the Moon and Mars. The NASA History Program is responsible for generating, disseminating, and preserving NASA’s remarkable history and providing a comprehensive understanding of the institutional, cultural, social, political, economic, technological, and scientific aspects of NASA’s activities in aeronautics and space. For more pictures like this one and to connect to NASA’s history, visit the Marshall History Program’s webpage. (NASA)