With the nation's space shuttle fleet retired and humans of all races and genders permanently in space aboard the International Space Station, the thrill, novelty and danger of space flight has receded a bit from the public imagination.

The death this week of Sally Ride, the first American woman in space, offered a reminder of a time when each new flight was marked by great anticipation and milestones were marked not only by scientific advancement, but by human progress.

In the months leading to Ms. Ride's first flight, billboards across the land proclaimed the event with the famous line from "Mustang Sally" - "Ride, Sally Ride!"

That bravado hearkened to the earlier days of the program, when astronauts were converted test pilots and perceived as devil-may-care cowboys.

Ms. Ride was anything but. She was a scientist, the holder of four degrees from Stanford University, including a Ph.D. in physics.

Although her realm was science, she also embraced he role as a pioneer and used it to advance the cause of women in the sciences. She founded Sally Ride Science, a company dedicated to getting more women and girls involved in science study and enterprise.

Ms. Ride's death of pancreatic cancer is a loss to that cause and a reminder of what has been lost by the nation's diminished commitment to human space flight - the potential not just for scientific advancement bt for human greatness.

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Sally still rides