It's a shame that NASA, once the last bastion of government where competence remained THE preeminent qualification for judging an astronaut, has fallen into the sad pit of modern identity politics. Certainly Dr. Ride deserves to be honored, but does she merit being the FIRST astronaut to be so honored? Other than having a vagina, Ride had no discernible qualification that was not present in any of the dozens of male astronauts who preceded her into space, NOT ONE of whom has ever been depicted on U.S. currency.
Sally Ride was an ASTRONAUT, an achievement much more laudable than the fact that she was a woman, an accomplishment managed by several billion humans. But if then we're going to start honoring the exceedingly rare individuals who have earned the title of astronaut, there are much more impressive examples --Shepard, Glenn, Armstrong, and others-- who should be lauded first.
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