Portrait of Susan Helms Courtesy of NASA

Susan Helms is an American astronaut who was born on February 26, 1958, in North Carolina. Before she became an astronaut, Helms was a flight test engineer. She has flown in 30 different types of aircraft.

Helms became an astronaut in 1990. She has spent over 812 hours in space on 3 spaceflights.

Helms made her first spaceflight aboard STS-54 in 1993. The crew deployed a satellite during this mission. In 1994, she flew aboard STS-64. The crew studied the Earth's atmosphere.

Helms made her third spaceflight in 1996, aboard STS-78. This held an international crew that studied the life sciences.