Quarter Dollar 2022 Dr. Sally Ride, Coin from United States - detailed information

The Quarter Dollar is a United States coin worth 25 cents. From its inception until 1964, the denomination was issued in silver; it underwent several design changes, including finally the silver Washington quarter (1932 - 1964) featuring the first President of the United States on the obverse and the American Eagle on the reverse, issued then until 1998 in copper-nickel. The U.S Mint then embarked on several long term projects: the State Quarters series of 50 coins featuring each State from 1999 to 2008; in 2009, a six-coin series represented the District of Columbia and five US territories, and then the America the Beautiful program (2010 - 2021). After a brief interlude with a Washington commemorative quarter, the U.S. Mint started the American Women Quarters program in 2022.

Running until 2025, the program honours five women on five reverse designs per year, selected for "contributions to the United States in a wide spectrum of accomplishments and fields, including but not limited to suffrage, civil rights, abolition, government, humanities, science, space, and arts". The obverse depicts George Washington with a 1931 design by Laura Gardin Fraser.

The Dr. Sally Ride Quarter is the second coin in the American Women Quarters Program; it was released on 22 March 2022.

Dr. Sally Ride was a physicist, astronaut, educator, and the first American woman to soar into space. When she blasted off aboard Space Shuttle Challenger on 18 June 1983, Ride became the first American woman - and, at 32, the youngest American - in space. During the six days of mission STS-7, she deployed and retrieved a satellite with the shuttle’s robotic arm. Her second shuttle flight, STS-41G, made history as the first space mission with two female crew members.

After her historic spaceflight, Ride saw that her example was a powerful tool for inspiring young people, especially girls, to pursue careers in science. She teamed up with Tam O’Shaughnessy to write six science books for young people. “The Third Planet: Exploring the Earth from Space” won the American Institute of Physics’ Children’s Science Writing Award in 1995.

To narrow the gender gap in science and engineering careers, Ride and O’Shaughnessy started an education company to inspire young people, especially girls, in science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM). In 2001, they joined like-minded friends with expertise in physics, administration, and technology to found Sally Ride Science. One of Ride’s goals in starting the Sally Ride Science organisation was to make sure girls and boys of all backgrounds had access to role models who looked like them. Ride received many honours during her life, including induction into the Astronaut Hall of Fame, National Women’s Hall of Fame, and Aviation Hall of Fame.

Dr. Sally Ride Quarter Dollars issued in 2022 have now been in circulation for only three years.