40 years ago, Sally Ride became the first American woman in space

On June 18, 1983, Sally Ride became the first American woman to fly in space when the space shuttle Challenger launched on mission STS-7. (NASA)

The morning of June 18, 1983, hundreds of thousands of spectators awaited the Challenger space shuttle launch at Kennedy Space Center in Cape Canaveral, Fla.

Some people in the crowd wore T-shirts inscribed with the Mustang Sally lyrics "Ride Sally Ride" because one of the astronauts on board mission STS-7 was about to make history.