Story of Team-41G

Kathryn D Sullivan (left) and Sally Ride (right) on STS-41G (NASA) 1978

"I didn’t succumb to the stereotype that science wasn’t for girls” – Sally Ride

On the 5th October 1984, NASA launched shuttle mission STS-41G into space and on board were astronauts Sally Ride and Kathryn D. Sullivan.

STS-41G was the first crew to include two women and on the 11th October, Kathryn became the first woman to walk in space.

Working in a male-dominated profession during the 1980s wasn’t always easy, but Sally and Kathryn were determined to normalise the presence of women in space. “I thought it should be a very natural thing for women to be astronauts” said Sally. “I really never did think I couldn’t do something because I was female”.

Sally and Kathryn were adamant they did not want to receive any special treatment. “We didn’t want to become ‘the girl astronauts’, distinct and separate from the guys” explained Kathryn.

It was the combined efforts of the entire crew onboard STS-41G that lead to the success of the mission. “NASA did a pretty good job of selecting the crew, because we got along very well. We never had any issues at all and got to be very, very good friends through the training” recalled Sally.

Our cap is named in recognition of Sally and Kathryn. Their story encourages those who are striving to carve out a career path, regardless of their gender, and is a reminder of the power of teamwork.

This is Team-41G