NASA engineers preparing the first American woman for a six-day mission seriously asked if 100 tampons was the right number to pack. This deep dive goes far beyond the icon in the light blue flight suit to reveal a near-professional tennis player, brilliant astrophysicist, quiet whistleblower, and fiercely private woman.

We follow Sally Ride from the tennis court to a physics PhD, through the media circus of her historic 1983 flight, and into her secret role investigating the Challenger disaster. Throughout, she navigated crushing public expectation while building a fortress around her own humanity.

• Redirecting elite athletic discipline into astrophysics at Stanford
• Mastering the shuttle's robotic arm and clinical control under pressure
• Absorbing absurd sexist press questions with strategic calm
• Secretly p ...