Susan J. Helms

Susan Jane Helms (born February 26, 1958) is a retired United States Air Force lieutenant general and NASA astronaut. She was the commander, 14th Air Force (Air Forces Strategic); and commander, Joint Functional Component Command for Space at Vandenberg Air Force Base in California. She was promoted to brigadier general in June 2006 and became commander of the 45th Space Wing on the same day of her promotion.

Helms was promoted to major general in August 2009.

As a flight test engineer, Helms has flown in 30 different types of U.S. and Canadian military aircraft. As Helms's lawyer explained, Helms felt the prosecution had failed to prove its case beyond a reasonable doubt. Obama eventually withdrew Helms's nomination and she retired from the Air Force in 2014.

Spaceflight experience

Selected by NASA in January 1990, Helms became an astronaut in July 1991. She flew on STS-54 (1993), STS-64 (1994), STS-78 (1996), STS-101 (2000) and served aboard the International Space Station as a member of the ISS Expedition 2 crew (2001). A veteran of five space flights, Helms logged 5,064 hours in space, including an EVA of 8 hours and 56 minutes (world record at the time).

STS-54 Endeavour, January 13–19, 1993. The primary objective of this mission was the deployment of a $200-million NASA Tracking and Data Relay Satellite (TDRS-F). A diffuse X-ray spectrometer (DXS) carried in the payload bay, collected over 80,000 seconds of quality X-ray data that will enable investigators to answer questions about the origin of the Milky Way galaxy. The crew demonstrated the physics principles of everyday toys to an interactive audience of elementary school students across the United States. A highly successful extra-vehicular activity (EVA) resulted in many lessons learned that will benefit International Space Station assembly. Mission duration was 5 days, 23 hours, 38 minutes, 17 seconds.

Helms views the topography of a point on Earth from the nadir window of the ISS. STS-64 Discovery, September 9–20, 1994. On this flight, Helms served as the flight engineer for orbiter operations and the primary RMS operator aboard Space Shuttle. The major objective of this flight was to validate the design and operating characteristics of Lidar in Space Technology Experiment (LITE) by gathering data about the Earth's troposphere and stratosphere. Additional objectives included the deploy and retrieval of SPARTAN-201, a free-flying satellite that investigated the physics of the solar corona, and the testing of a new EVA maneuvering device. The Shuttle Plume Impingement Flight Experiment (SPIFEX) was used to collect extensive data on the effects of jet thruster impingement, in preparation for proximity tasks such as space station docking. Mission duration was 10 days, 22 hours, 51 minutes.

STS-78 Columbia, June 20 to July 7, 1996, Helms was the payload commander and flight engineer aboard Columbia, on the longest Space Shuttle mission to date (later that year the STS-80 mission broke its record by nineteen hours). The mission included studies sponsored by ten nations and five space agencies, and was the first mission to combine both a full microgravity studies agenda and a comprehensive life science investigation. The Life and Microgravity Spacelab mission served as a model for future studies on board the International Space Station. Mission duration was 16 days, 21 hours, 48 minutes.

STS-101 Atlantis, May 19–29, 2000, was a mission dedicated to the delivery and repair of critical hardware for the International Space Station. Helms’s prime responsibilities during this mission were to perform critical repairs to extend the life of the Functional Cargo Block (FGB). In addition, she had prime responsibility of the onboard computer network and served as the mission specialist for rendezvous with the ISS. Mission duration was 9 days, 20 hours and 9 minutes.

Expedition 2 March 8 to August 22, 2001, was a mission to the International Space Station and Helms was a member of the second crew to inhabit the International Space Station Alpha. The Expedition 2 crew (two American astronauts and one Russian cosmonaut) launched on March 8, 2001, on board STS-102 Discovery and successfully docked with the station on March 9, 2001. The Expedition 2 crew installed and conducted tests on the Canadian-made Space Station Robotic arm (SSRMS), conducted internal and external maintenance tasks (Russian and American), in addition to medical and science experiments. During her stay on board, Helms installed the airlock (brought up on the STS-104 mission) using the SSRM. She and her crewmates also performed a 'fly around' of the Russian Soyuz spacecraft and welcomed the visiting Soyuz crew that included the first space tourist, Dennis Tito. On March 11 she performed a world-record 8 hour and 56 minute spacewalk to install hardware to the external body of the laboratory module, that stood until 17 December 2024, when Cai Xuzhe broke the record with Song Lingdong for the longest spacewalk in human history, of 9 hours and 6 minutes. Helms spent a total of 163 days aboard the space station. She returned to Earth with the STS-105 crew aboard Discovery on August 22, 2001.

Awards and decorations

Defense Superior Service Medal with two oak leaf clusters Legion of Merit with three oak leaf clusters Defense Meritorious Service Medal with two oak leaf clusters Meritorious Service Medal with oak leaf cluster Air Force Commendation Medal Outstanding Unit Award with three oak leaf clusters Organizational Excellence Award with three oak leaf clusters 80px NASA Distinguished Service Medal NASA Outstanding Leadership Medal National Defense Service Medal with service star Global War on Terrorism Service Medal Armed Forces Service Medal Air Force Overseas Long Tour Service Ribbon Air Force Longevity Service Award with silver and two bronze oak leaf clusters Small Arms Expert Marksmanship Ribbon Air Force Training Ribbon Medal "For Merit in Space Exploration"

Helms was inducted into the International Space Hall of Fame in 2004. She was inducted into the Colorado Women's Hall of Fame in 2018.

Dates of rank