When Sally Ride was ten years old, she had no idea that she would become the first American woman to go to space. At that age, she was just living an ordinary life, likely focused on school, friends, and typical childhood activities. Her passion for science and athletics was already developing, but the specific path that would lead her to NASA and historic achievements in space exploration was still unknown, even to her. Sally Ride didn't become interested in space until she was in college, after seeing an ad in the Stanford University newspaper encouraging women to apply to NASA's astronaut program.