Sally Ride, first American woman in space, dies at 61

Her office in San Diego said she died of pancreatic cancer.

AP Photo | PABLO MARTINEZ MONSIVAISFormer Astronaut Sally Ride speaks to members of the media as NASA personnel set-up astronomy equipment on the South Lawn of the White House in preparation for an event with the President and the First Lady in Oct. 2009 in Washington.

Sally Ride, the first American woman to fly in space, has died. She was 61.

NASA confirmed her death this afternoon and President Barack Obama called her a national hero.

Her office in San Diego said she died of pancreatic cancer.

Ride rode into space on the shuttle Challenger in 1983 when she was 32.