Susan Helmsová

Susan Jane Helmsová
Astronautka NASA
Státní příslušnostUSA
Datum narození26. února 1958 (65 let)
Místo narozeníCharlotte, Severní Karolína, USA
Předchozí
zaměstnání
inženýrka a pilotka Letectva USA
HodnostGenerálmajor letectva (2. srpna 2009)
Čas ve vesmíru210 dní, 23 hodin a 11 minut
Kosmonaut od17. ledna 1990
MiseSTS-54, STS-64, STS-78, STS-101/ISS, Expedice 2
(STS-102/ISS/STS-105)
Znaky misí
Kosmonaut dočervence 2002
Pozdější zaměstnáníGenerál Strategického velitelství ozbrojených sil USA
Některá data mohou pocházet z datové položky.

Susan Jane Helmsová (* 26. února 1958 v Charlotte, v Severní Karolíně, USA), původně inženýrka a pilotka letectva Spojených států, byla od ledna 1990 do července 2002 astronautkou NASA. Má za sebou pět kosmických letů včetně půlročního pobytu na Mezinárodní vesmírné stanici (ISS). Celkem strávila ve vesmíru 210 dní, 23 hodin a 11 minut. Po odchodu z NASA se vrátila k vojenské službě, od roku 2008 je ředitelkou pro plánování a politiku Strategického velitelství ozbrojených sil.

Život

Mládí

Susan Helmsová se narodila v Charlotte v Severní Karolíně, dětství a mládí prožila v oregonském Portlandu. Po ukončení zdejší střední školy roku 1976 se přihlásila na Akademii letectva (U.S. Air Force Academy), roku 1980 zde získala titul bakaláře (v první ženské skupině).[1] Poté sloužila v letectvu na základně Eglin na Floridě jako důstojník pro výzbroj letadel F-16. Roku 1985 dokončila magisterské studium na Stanfordově univerzitě. Nato dva roky učila na Akademii letectva. V letech 1987–1988 prošla ročním kurzem na pilotní škole (USAF Test Pilot School). Potom byla přeložena do zkušebního střediska v Cold Lake v Kanadě.[1]

Astronautka

Úspěšně se zúčastnila 13. náboru astronautů NASA a 17. ledna 1990 byla začleněna do oddílu astronautů NASA. Absolvovala kurz všeobecné kosmické přípravy a v červenci 1991 získala kvalifikaci letového specialisty raketoplánu Space Shuttle.[2]

Po dokončení přípravy zastávala různé funkce v NASA. Už po dvou letech odstartovala do vesmíru na palubě raketoplánu Endeavour. Mise STS-54 začala 13. ledna 1993, po splnění programu letu (hlavním úkolem bylo vypuštění družice TDRS-6) astronauti přistáli 19. ledna 1993 na Floridě, let trval 5 dní, 23 hodin a 39 minut.[3]

Ve dnech 9.–20. září 1994 pobývala ve vesmíru podruhé. Let STS-64 raketoplánu Discovery trval 10 dní, 22 hodin a 51 minut. V jeho průběhu astronauté vypustili a opět zachytili družici Spartan a provedli řadu dalších experimentů.[4]

Potřetí se do vesmíru dostala ve dnech 20. června až 6. července 1996 v Shuttlu Columbia při letu STS-78. Posádka se v laboratoři Spacelab věnovala výzkumům vlivu mikrogravitace na živé organizmy a technologickým experimentům. Délka letu byla 16 dní, 21 hodin a 48 minut.[5]

Susan Helmsová na ISS, modul Destiny, 31. března 2001.

V listopadu 1997 byla jmenována palubní inženýrkou posádky Expedice 2 na Mezinárodní vesmírnou stanici (ISS), kolegy v posádce se stali Jurij Usačov a James Voss.[2]

Současně s přípravou na pobyt na ISS byla v únoru 2000 zařazena do posádky letu STS-101. Raketoplán Atlantis odstartoval 19. května 2000, cílem letu bylo zásobení ještě neobydlené ISS a zvýšení její dráhy.[6]

Druhá základní posádka ISS vzlétla do vesmíru 8. března 2001 v raketoplánu Discovery (let STS-102). Po běžném půlročním pobytu na ISS se trojice Usačov, Voss, Helmsová vrátila na Zem opět v Discovery při letu STS-105. Přistání na mysu Canaveral proběhlo 19. června 2002 po 167 dnech, 6 hodinách a 42 minutách letu.[7]

V červenci 2002 odešla z NASA zpátky do ozbrojených sil. Sloužila v různých funkcích v kosmických silách a letectvu, v červnu 2006 byla jmenována velitelkou 45. kosmického křídla (45th Space Wing) umístěného na základně Patrick na Floridě, zde řídila všechny nepilotované vojenské starty nosných raket Delta a Atlas. V listopadu 2008 byla jmenována ředitelkou pro plánování a politiku Strategického velitelství (U.S. Strategic Command) na základně Offutt v Nebrasce. Dne 2. srpna 2009 byla povýšena do hodnosti generálmajora.[8]


Reference

  1. a b Biographical data. Susan J. Helms [online]. Houston: NASA, rev. 2008-12 [cit. 2009-10-27]. Dostupné v archivu pořízeném dne 2007-07-15. (anglicky)  – Oficiální biografie NASA
  2. a b IVANOV, Ivan, a kol. Космическая энциклопедия ASTROnote [online]. Moskva: rev. 2008-12-15 [cit. 2009-10-27]. Kapitola Susan Jane Helms. Dostupné online. (rusky) 
  3. HOLUB, Aleš. MEK. Malá encyklopedie kosmonautiky [online]. Rev. 1997-12-03 [cit. 2009-10-27]. Kapitola STS-54 En/F-3. [dále jen Holub]. Dostupné online. 
  4. Holub. Rev. 1997-08-17 [cit. 2009-10-27]. Kapitola STS-64 Di/F-19. 
  5. Holub. Rev. 1997-12-18 [cit. 2009-10-27]. Kapitola STS-78 Co/F-20. 
  6. Holub. Rev. 2000-06-05 [cit. 2009-10-27]. Kapitola STS-101 At/F-21. 
  7. Holub. Rev. 2001-08-24 [cit. 2009-10-13]. Kapitola Expedice 2. 
  8. MAJOR GENERAL SUSAN J. HELMS [online]. U.S. Air Force, rev. 2009-08 [cit. 2009-10-27]. Dostupné v archivu pořízeném dne 2012-12-12. (anglicky)  – Oficiální biografie Letectva Spojených států

Externí odkazy

Média použitá na této stránce

Sts-78-patch.png

The STS-78 patch links past with present to tell the story of its mission and science through a design imbued with the strength and vitality of the 2-dimensional art of North America's northwest coast Indians. Central to the design is the space Shuttle whose bold lines and curves evoke the Indian image for the eagle, a native American symbol of power and prestige as well as the national symbol of the United States. The wings of the Shuttle suggest the wings of the eagle whose feathers, indicative of peace and friendship in Indian tradition, are captured by the U forms, a characteristic feature of Northwest coast Indian art. The nose of the Shuttle is the strong downward curve of the eagle's beak, and the Shuttle's forward windows, the eagle's eyes, represented through the tapered S forms again typical of this Indian art form.

The basic black and red atoms orbiting the mission number recall the original NASA emblem while beneath, utilizing Indian ovoid forms, the major mission scientific experiment package LMS (Life and Materials Sciences) housed in the Shuttle's cargo bay is depicted in a manner reminiscent of totem-pole art. This image of a bird poised for flight, so common to Indian art, is counterpointed by an equally familiar Tsimshian Indian symbol, a pulsating sun with long hyperbolic rays, the symbol of life. Within each of these rays are now encased crystals, the products of this mission's 3 major, high-temperature materials processing furnaces. And as the sky in Indian lore is a lovely open country, home of the Sun Chief and accessible to travelers through a hole in the western horizon, so too, space is a vast and beckoning landscape for explorers launched beyond the horizon.

Beneath the Tsimshian sun, the colors of the earth limb are appropriately enclosed by a red border representing life to the Northwest coast Indians. The Indian colors of red, navy blue, white, and black pervade the STS-78 path. To the right of the Shuttle-eagle, the constellation Delphinus recalls the dolphin, friend of ancient sailors and, now perhaps too, of the 9 space voyagers suggested by this constellation's blaze of 9 stars. The patch simultaneously celebrates international unity fostered by the Olympic spirit of sports competition at the 1996 Olympic Games in Atlanta, Georgia, U.S.A. Deliberately poised over the city of Atlanta, the Space Shuttle glows at its base with the 5 official Olympic rings in the 5 Olympic colors which can also be found throughout the patch, rings and colors which signify the 5 continents of the earth. This is an international mission and for the first time in NASA patch history, astronauts have dispensed with identifying country flags beneath their names to celebrate the spirit of international unity so characteristic of this flight.
Sts-54-patch.png

STS-54 Mission Insignia

Designed by the crewmembers, the STS-54 crew patch depicts the American bald eagle soaring above Earth and is emblematic of the Space Shuttle Endeavour in service to the United States and the world. The eagle is clutching an eightpointed star in its talons and is placing this larger star among a constellation of four others, representing the placement of the fifth Tracking and Data Relay Satellite (TDRS) into orbit to join the four already in service. The blackness of space -- with stars conspicuously absent -- represents the crew's other primary mission in carrying the Diffuse X-ray Spectrometer to orbit to conduct astronomical observations of invisible x-ray sources within the Milky Way Galaxy. The depiction of Earth showing North America is an expression of the crewmembers and NASA's intention that the medical and scientific experiments conducted onboard be for the benefit of mankind. The clouds and blue of Earth represent the crew's part in NASA's Mission to Planet Earth in conducting Earthobservation photography.
Sts-101-patch.png
The STS-101 mission patch commemorates the third Space Shuttle flight supporting the assembly of the International Space Station (ISS). This flight's primary tasks are to outfit the ISS and extend its lifetime, and to conduct a spacewalk to install external components in preparation for the docking of the Russian Service Module, Zvezda, and the arrival of the first ISS crew. The Space Shuttle is depicted in an orbit configuration prior to docking with the ISS. The ISS is depicted in the stage of assembly completed for the STS-101 mission, which consists of the United States-built Unity module and the Russian-built Zarya module. The three large stars represent the third ISS mission in the assembly sequence. The elements and colors of the border reflect the flags of the nations represented by the STS-101 crew members, the United States and Russia. The NASA insignia design for Shuttle flights is reserved for use by the astronauts and for other official use as the NASA Administrator may authorize. Public availability has been approved only in the form of illustrations by the various news media. When and if there is any change in this policy, which is not anticipated, it will be publicly announced.
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Astronaut Susan J. Helms, Expedition Two flight engineer, views the topography of a point on Earth from the nadir window in the U.S. Laboratory / Destiny module of the International Space Station (ISS).
Sts-105-patch.png
The STS-105 crew patch symbolizes the exchange of the Expedition Two and Expedition Three crews aboard the International Space Station. The three gold stars near the ascending Orbiter represent the U.S. commanded Expedition Three crew as they journey into space, while the two gold stars near the descending Orbiter represent the Russian commanded Expedition Two crew and their return to Earth. The plumes of each Orbiter represent the flags of the United States and Russia and symbolize the close cooperation between the two countries. The Astronaut Office symbol, a star with three rays of light, depicts the unbroken link between Earth and the newest and brightest star on the horizon, the International Space Station (ISS). The ascending and descending Orbiters form a circle that represents both the crew rotation and the continuous presence in space aboard the ISS. The names of the four astronauts who will crew Discovery are shown along the border of the patch. The names of the Expedition Three and Expedition Two crews are shown on the chevron at the bottom of the patch. The NASA insignia design for Shuttle flights is reserved for use by the astronauts and for other official use as the NASA Administrator may authorize. Public availability has been approved only in the form of illustrations by the various news media. When and if there is any change in this policy, which we do not anticipate, it will be publicly announced.
Sts-64-patch.png

STS-64 Mission Insignia

The STS-64 patch depicts the Space Shuttle Discovery in a payload-bay-to-Earth attitude with its primary payload, Lidar In-Space Technology Experiment (LITE-1) operating in support of Mission to Planet Earth. LITE-1 is a lidar system that uses a three-wavelength laser, symbolized by the three gold rays emanating from the star in the payload bay that form part of the astronaut symbol. The major objective of the LITE-1 is to gather data about the Earth's troposphere and stratosphere, represented by the clouds and dual-colored Earth limb. A secondary payload on STS-64 is the free-flier SPARTAN 201 satellite shown on the Remote Manipulator System (RMS) arm post-retrieval. The RMS also operated another payload, Shuttle Plume Impingement Flight Experiment (SPIFEX). A newly tested extravehicular activity (EVA) maneuvering device, Simplified Aid for EVA Rescue (SAFER), represented symbolically by the two small nozzles on the backpacks of the two untethered EVA crew men. The names of the crew members encircle the patch: Astronauts Richard N. Richards, L. Blaine Hammond, Jr., Jerry M. Linenger, Susan J. Helms, Carl J. Meade and Mark C. Lee. The gold or silver stars by each name represent that person's parent service.
SJHelms.jpg
Astronaut Susan Jane Helms
STS-102 Patch.svg
The STS-102 crew insignia depicts the International Space Station as it looked when Space Shuttle Discovery was docked. Visible elements include the P6 and Z1 trusses, solar arrays from the Russian segment, 2 Pressurized Mating Adapters, and the Multi Purpose Logistics Module that was temporarily attached to the underside of the Unity Node. The numbers "102" represent the mission tail number. The red, white, and blue ribbons surrounding the space station represent that this is a crew rotation flight. The colors represent the nationalities of the crewmembers (Russian and American). Underneath the ribbons are the flags of the three nations who are the major contributors to the mission (from left to right: Russia, United States, Italy). The names of the 4 permanent crewmembers are displayed in gold around the top of the emblem. Attached to the bottom are six names depicting the six rotating crewmembers (Expedition 2 on top and Expedition 1 on bottom).
Expedition 2 insignia.svg
ISS Expedition 2 insignia.
The International Space Station Expedition Two patch depicts the Space Station as it appears during the time the second crew will be on board. The Station flying over the Earth represents the overall reason for having a space station: to benefit the world through scientific research and international cooperation in space. The number 2 is for the second expedition and is enclosed in the Cyrillic MKS and Latin ISS which are the respective Russian and English abbreviations for the International Space Station. The United States and Russian flags show the nationalities of the crew indicating the joint nature of the program. When asked about the stars in the background, a crew spokesman said they "...represent the thousands of space workers throughout the ISS partnership who have contributed to the successful construction of our International Space Station."