Helen Sharman
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| Juno Cosmonaut | |
|---|---|
| Nationality | British |
| Born | May 30, 1963 Sheffield, United Kingdom |
| Occupation1 | Chemist |
| Space time | 7d 21h 13m |
| Selection | 1989 |
| Mission(s) | Soyuz TM-12 |
| Mission insignia | Image:Helen Sharman Soyuz TM-12 patch.jpg |
| 1 previous or current | |
Helen Patricia Sharman OBE (born May 30, 1963), is a chemist and former British astronaut. She was the first Briton in space, on Soyuz TM-12 which took off on May 18, 1991.
Sharman was born in Sheffield; she is married with a daughter. She received a B.Sc. in chemistry at the University of Sheffield in 1984 and a Ph.D. from Birkbeck, University of London. She worked as an engineer for GEC in London and later as a chemist for Mars Incorporated working with flavorant properties of chocolate.<ref name="Helen Sharman, Made in Sheffield">Helen Sharman, Made in Sheffield. Made In Sheffield Dot Com. Retrieved on 2006-09-20.</ref>
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[edit] Project Juno astronaut
Sharman was selected as astronaut on November 25, 1989, beating 13,000 applicants, after responding to a radio advertisement asking for applicants to be the first British astronaut.<ref name="Helen Sharman, Made in Sheffield" /> The mission was known as Project Juno and was a cooperative arrangement between the Soviet Union and a group of British companies.
Sharman has been wrongly described as "selected by lottery", but was subject to a rigorous selection process that gave weight to scientific, educational, and aerospace backgrounds as well as the ability to learn a foreign language. (A lottery in the UK was one of several schemes used to raise money to underwrite the cost of the flight.)
Before flying, Helen spent 18 months of intensive flight training in Star City. The Juno consortium failed to raise the monies expected, and the partnership was almost cancelled. Reportedly Mikhail Gorbachev ordered it to proceed under Soviet expense in the interests of international relations, but in the absence of Western underwriting, substituted less expensive experiments.
The Soyuz TM-12 mission, which included Soviet cosmonauts Anatoly Artsebarsky and Sergei Krikalev, lasted 8 days, most of that time spent at the Mir space station. Sharman's tasks included medical and agricultural tests, photographing the British Isles, and participating in an amateur radio hookup with British schoolchildren.
She has not returned to space since this mission, although she was one of three British candidates in the 1992 European Space Agency astronaut selection, and on the shortlist of 25 applicants in 1998. Sharman now works as a broadcaster and lecturer specialising in science education.
In 1991, she was chosen to light the flame at the 1991 Summer Universiade, held in Sheffield. On live international television, she tripped while running through the infield of Don Valley Stadium, smashing the torch, but recovered its embers and went on to light the flame.<ref>"Baton charge duty for Becks", The Guardian Online, 25 July 2002. Retrieved on 2006-11-25.</ref> For her pioneering efforts, Sharman was appointed an OBE in 1993, and the same year an honorary fellow of the Royal Society of Chemistry.<ref>Who are our Honorary Fellows?. Royal Society of Chemistry. Retrieved on 2006-11-06.</ref> The British School in Assen, the Netherlands is named the Helen Sharman School for her.<ref>Tim Unsworth (2003). Welcome from the Head. The British School. Retrieved on 2006-11-06.</ref>
[edit] Trivia
- Sharman was 27 years and 11 months old when she went into space, as of 2006 the fifth youngest of the 455 individuals (90% men) who have been astronauts or cosmonauts. The second youngest, Soviet cosmonaut Valentina Tereshkova, became the first woman in space in 1963 aged 26 years and 3 months.
[edit] Bibliography
- Seize the Moment, autobiography, with Christopher Priest and a foreword by Arthur C. Clarke (London : Gollancz, 1993 - ISBN 0575058196)
- The Space Place (Making Sense of Science), children's book, illustrated by Mic Rolph (Portland Press, 1997. ISBN 1855780925)
[edit] References
<references/>
[edit] External links
- 'Life in Space' A Masterclass for children by Helen Sharman Freeview Video by the Vega Science Trust
- Spacefacts biography of Helen Sharmande:Helen Patricia Sharman
