Susan Jane Helms
Susan Jane Helms is an American retired Air Force lieutenant general, NASA astronaut, engineer, and International veteran. Her career links shuttle work, early ISS operations, and senior military space leadership.
- Born
- February 26, 1958
- Died
- N/A
- Birthplace
- Charlotte, North Carolina,United States
Flights
5
Spacewalks
1
EVA time
8 hours, 56 minutes
In space
210 days, 23 hours, 6 minutes
Bio
Helms graduated from the United States Air Force Academy and earned a graduate degree in aeronautics and astronautics at Stanford. She entered NASA from an Air Force engineering and test background and was selected with Astronaut Group 13 in 1990.
She flew five shuttle missions and lived aboard the ISS as a member of Expedition 2. During STS-102, Helms and Jim Voss performed an lasting 8 hours and 56 minutes, one of the longest spacewalks ever conducted.
After NASA, Helms returned to senior Air Force space leadership, ultimately becoming a lieutenant general. She commanded 14th Air Force and Joint Functional Component Command for Space before retiring from the Air Force in 2014.