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About
American astronaut and physicist who joined NASA in 1978 and became the first American woman to enter low earth orbit.
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Before Fame
Growing up, she was a nationally ranked tennis player, and took physics classes at UCLA, Stanford, Swarthmore College, and Harvard-Westlake School for Girls.
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Trivia Fact
At the time of her first spaceflight in 1983, she was the youngest American to enter space.
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Family Life:
She married Steven Hawley in 1982 and divorced him in 1987. After her death, it was revealed that she had a 27-year relationship with Tam O'Shaughnessy, a female tennis player and professor.
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Associated With
Other famous NASA astronauts, like Virgil Ivan Grissom, entered space before her.
