Susan J. Helms

Selected as a NASA astronaut in 1990, she became the first U.S. military woman in space. She completed five spaceflights – four on the space shuttle, plus a fifth flight aboard the International Space Station for a duration of almost 6 months. Susan has logged 211 days in space, and on March 11, 2001, accomplished a spacewalk of nearly nine hours, still a world record. Lt. Gen. Helms served as fighter jet weapons separation engineer and a flight test engineer. A Distinguished Graduate of the USAF Test Pilot School, Flight Test Engineer Course, she has flown in 30 different types of military aircraft. She served in numerous command and staff positions, before her eventual promotion to Lt. General. She serves on the Board of Directors for Virgin Orbit Holdings, Inc (VORB), the Board of Trustees for the Aerospace Corporation, and the NASA Aerospace Safety Advisory Panel.

Lt. Gen. Helms received a BS in aeronautical engineering from the U.S. Air Force Academy and a Masters of Aeronautics and Astronautics at Stanford University, Susan taught aeronautics at the U.S. Air Force Academy.