Physicists & Scientists · Head-to-head
Jocelyn Bell Burnell vs Sally Ride
No — based on their recorded years, Jocelyn Bell Burnell (1943–) lived before Sally Ride (1951–2012), and their lifetimes did not overlap.
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Jocelyn Bell Burnell
An astrophysicist who discovered the first radio pulsars as a graduate student, a finding for which her supervisor won the Nobel Prize without her.
Key achievements
- Discovered the first radio pulsars in 1967 while a graduate student at Cambridge University
- Her discovery led to a 1974 Nobel Prize in Physics awarded to her supervisor, Antony Hewish, without her
- Later received numerous honors including the Special Breakthrough Prize in Fundamental Physics in 2018
- Served as president of the Royal Astronomical Society and the Institute of Physics
Fast fact
Bell Burnell's 1967 discovery of pulsars was initially nicknamed 'LGM-1' for 'Little Green Men' before being identified as a natural astrophysical phenomenon.
Full profile of Jocelyn Bell Burnell →Sally Ride
The first American woman in space, who flew aboard the space shuttle Challenger in 1983.
Key achievements
- Became the first American woman in space aboard the space shuttle Challenger in 1983
- Flew a second mission to space in 1984
- Served on the panels investigating both the Challenger and Columbia shuttle disasters
- Founded Sally Ride Science, a company promoting STEM education for young people, especially girls
Fast fact
Sally Ride flew on the space shuttle Challenger in June 1983, becoming the first American woman in space at age 32.
Full profile of Sally Ride →Who lived first, Jocelyn Bell Burnell or Sally Ride?
Jocelyn Bell Burnell (1943–) lived first, before Sally Ride (1951–2012), based on their recorded years.
Were Jocelyn Bell Burnell and Sally Ride contemporaries?
No — based on their recorded years, Jocelyn Bell Burnell (1943–) lived before Sally Ride (1951–2012), and their lifetimes did not overlap.
What do Jocelyn Bell Burnell and Sally Ride have in common?
Both Jocelyn Bell Burnell and Sally Ride are grouped among our Physicists & Scientists figures and lived during the Modern Era.