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New Brevard bridge might be renamed in honor of astronaut Sally Ride

Ride was 1st American woman in space

BREVARD COUNTY, Fla. – Brevard County commissioners are asking state leaders to rename a bridge in honor of a legendary astronaut.

The plan would rename the newly constructed bridge on State Road 405, known as the NASA Causeway, to “Dr. Sally Ride Memorial Bridge.”

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The upgrade causeway connecting Titusville and Kennedy Space Center is being built next to the much shorter span over the Indian River, which FDOT said is structurally declining and has been there since 1964.

Chairperson Rita Pritchett of the Brevard County Commission wrote a letter of support to the bill’s sponsor, Rep. Tyler Sirois (R-Merritt Island), which reads in part, “Naming this vital bridge the Dr. Sally Ride Memorial Bridge will honor her legacy, acknowledge the history of females in space, and inspire generations o ffemales considering a career in the STEM fields.”

Ride was the first American woman to fly in space. She went to space on the Challenger shuttle in 1983, the maiden voyage for the spacecraft, which tragically exploded three years later due to a booster failure. She flew again in 1984 and deployed the first satellite in the Tracking and Data Relay System constellation.

The satellite, released by Ride into orbit using the shuttle’s robot arm, reentered the Earth’s atmosphere this past weekend and landed a few hundred miles from Alaska.

[RELATED: Old NASA satellite falls harmlessly from sky off Alaska]

When Ride stopped working for NASA in 1987, she began teaching at the University of California in San Diego.

Assistant Dean Morgan Appel said Dr. Ride would be proud of the honor.

“I think she’s probably up there amongst the stars looking down upon us and very excited about the opportunity,” Appel said. “Especially as we are approaching the 40th anniversary of her flight.”

Ride was added to the Astronaut Hall of Fame in 2003, according to NASA. She died in 2012.

The bridge is expected to be finished in 2025.

Another angle of construction for this story was recorded at the Courtyard by Marriott hotel near KSC.


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About the Authors
Brenda Argueta headshot

Brenda Argueta is a digital journalist who joined ClickOrlando.com in March 2021. She is the author of the Central Florida Happenings newsletter that goes out every Thursday.

James Sparvero headshot

James joined News 6 in March 2016 as the Brevard County Reporter. His arrival was the realization of a three-year effort to return to the state where his career began. James is from Pittsburgh, PA and graduated from Penn State in 2009 with a degree in Broadcast Journalism.

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