NASA astronaut Sally Ride's 27-year secret was only revealed after she died
&imwidth=800&imheight=600&format=webp&quality=medium "NASA astronaut Sally Ride's 27-year secret was only revealed after she died")
NASA astronaut Sally Ride kept her lover's identity a secret till the day she died. (Photo: AFP)
American astronaut Sally Ride had a romantic partner the world didn't know about for 27 years. Her identity was only revealed after she died in 2012.
Sally Ride, the first American woman and the third woman to fly in space, kept a part of her life hidden for over 27 years, which was only revealed after she died. A new documentary on the space pioneer's life tells about her romantic partner, who remained a mystery. Tam O’Shaughnessy opens up about the relationship in Sally, which premiered at the 2025 Sundance Film Festival.
O’Shaughnessy says that no one knew about their relationship for 27 years. After Ride died in 2012 of complications from pancreatic cancer at age 61, the world learned about her.
She says their friends and family sort of knew about them. O’Shaughnessy told People that she was to hold "a public celebration of her life, and then a national tribute at the Kennedy Centre in Washington, DC."
Ten days before Ride died, O’Shaughnessy asked Ride what she should come out as to the public? Ride asked her to "decide what you want to say, how open you want to be about our relationship."
Sally Ride joined NASA in 1978 and went to space in 1983 at the age of 32.
In the documentary, O’Shaughnessy and Ride's romantic moments have been recreated using the former's memory of their time together. Ride was a private person, and the couple didn't have many photos together. The two were childhood friends, and the relationship turned romantic in 1985. She hopes that people will finally get to see Ride for "who she really was."
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“We had a wonderful relationship from the time we were kids until we became lovers,” O'Shaughnessy says. “I think it's something to be proud of.”
Sally director Cristina Costantini says O’Shaughnessy's participation "changed everything".
"Tam was the closest and most intimate voice that we could get to Sally,” film’s producer, Lauren Cioffi, added.
O'Shaughnessy says remembering Sally in the documentary led her to break down several times, especially when talking about the time Sally got sick. "I got teary-eyed, and it just got me all the way through to my heart and guts. And that was a little bit of a surprise."
Sally will be available on Nat Geo from June 16 and stream on Disney+ beginning June 17. ,