Former astronaut Sally Ride is visiting the White House in Washington, D.C. on Thursday, Sept. 16 and will answer your questions about science and space! Dr. Ride was the first American woman in space and flew twice aboard the space shuttle Challenger in the early 1980s. Now is your chance to find out how she became an astronaut, ask questions about gravity, and learn what it’s really like to eat, sleep, and move in space. Send us your questions in the comments section and we will send 10-20 questions on to the White House.

Dr. Ride is President and CEO of Sally Ride Science, a science education company that creates programs and products for students and teachers in elementary and middle school and was the first director of NASA’s Office of Exploration, Dr. Ride has a longstanding interest in encouraging girls to pursue coursework and careers in science and engineering.

What do you want to ask Dr. Sally Ride? Add your questions here!

Visit the Sally Ride Science website.

Learn about other women pioneers on National Geographic Kids.

Photograph courtesy NASA Ames Research Center / Dominic Hart