Susan Helms

Lt. Gen (Ret.) Susan Helms
STEM, Aviation
INDUCTED 2018

Helms was the first military woman in space and holds the world record for the longest spacewalk (8 hours, 56 minutes).

Susan Helms is an explorer and risk-taker with a lifetime of first accomplishments for women. A retired Air Force lieutenant general (LTG) and astronaut, She was a member of the first Air Force Academy class which included women (Class of 1980), and as a USAF Flight Test Engineer, flew on over 30 types of aircraft. LTG Helms graduated from the Air Force Academy in 1980 with a BS in Aeronautical Engineering. She earned her MS in Aeronautics and Astronautics from Stanford University in 1985, and was a distinguished graduate of the Air Force Test Pilot School. LTG Helms received the R. L. Jones Award for Outstanding Flight Test Engineer at the Air Force Test Pilot School, and in 2011 she was inducted into the Astronauts Hall of Fame.

“Confidence and competency goes such a long way, as a currency, especially for women struggling with biases.” — Susan Helms