Susan Helms
A groundbreaking astronaut and Air Force general who helped build the International Space Station and executed the longest spacewalk in history.
Born 1958 (age 68)·American astronaut and Air Force lieutenant general·Birthday: February 26·Baby Boomers
Biography
Susan Helms’ career is a narrative of breaking barriers with quiet competence. An Air Force test pilot with degrees in aeronautical engineering, she was selected by NASA in 1990, entering a realm where few women had gone before. Her five space shuttle flights were defined by technical complexity, most notably her tenure on the International Space Station’s Expedition 2 crew. There, she wasn't just a visitor; she was a builder and operator, using the station's robotic arm with the deftness of a surgeon. Her legacy includes a record that still stands: an 8-hour, 56-minute spacewalk with fellow astronaut Jim Voss to perform critical station assembly—a marathon of focus in the vacuum of space. After returning to Earth, she traded a spacecraft cockpit for command of an Air Force wing, eventually rising to three-star general, proving her leadership was as formidable in the Pentagon as it was in orbit.
Baby Boomers
1946–1964
The largest generation in history at the time. Shaped by postwar prosperity, the Vietnam War, the sexual revolution, and Watergate. They questioned every institution their parents built — then ran them.
Susan was born in 1958, placing them squarely in the Baby Boomers. The events that shaped this generation — postwar prosperity, civil rights, Vietnam, and the counterculture — shaped the world they entered and the choices available to them.
#1 When Susan Was Born
The biggest hits of 1958
#1 Movie
South Pacific
Best Picture
Gigi
#1 TV Show
Gunsmoke
Susan's Life & Times
The world at every milestone
1958Born
NASA founded
Gas: $0.31/galHome: $11,050Min wage: $1.00/hrPresident: Dwight D. Eisenhower"Volare" — Domenico ModugnoBest Picture: Gigi
1963Started school
JFK assassinated in Dallas; Martin Luther King's 'I Have a Dream' speech
Gas: $0.31/galHome: $13,100Min wage: $1.25/hrPresident: Lyndon B. Johnson"Sugar Shack" — Jimmy Gilmer & The FireballsBest Picture: Tom Jones
1971Became a teenager
Voting age lowered to 18 in the US
Gas: $0.36/galHome: $18,100Min wage: $1.60/hrPresident: Richard Nixon"Joy to the World" — Three Dog NightBest Picture: The French Connection
1974Could drive
Nixon resigns the presidency
Gas: $0.53/galHome: $22,600Min wage: $2.00/hrPresident: Gerald Ford"The Way We Were" — Barbra StreisandBest Picture: The Godfather Part II
1976Could vote
Apple Computer founded; US bicentennial
Gas: $0.59/galHome: $29,300Min wage: $2.30/hrPresident: Gerald Ford"Silly Love Songs" — WingsBest Picture: Rocky
1979Turned 21
Iran hostage crisis begins; Three Mile Island accident
Gas: $0.86/galHome: $37,900Min wage: $2.90/hrPresident: Jimmy Carter"My Sharona" — The KnackBest Picture: Kramer vs. Kramer
1988Turned 30
Pan Am Flight 103 bombed over Lockerbie
Gas: $0.90/galHome: $74,800Min wage: $3.35/hrPresident: Ronald Reagan"Faith" — George MichaelBest Picture: Rain Man
1998Turned 40
Google founded; Clinton impeachment
Gas: $1.06/galHome: $107,300Min wage: $5.15/hrPresident: Bill Clinton"Too Close" — NextBest Picture: Shakespeare in Love
2008Turned 50
Barack Obama elected first Black US president; financial crisis
Gas: $3.27/galHome: $153,100Min wage: $6.55/hrPresident: George W. Bush"Low" — Flo RidaBest Picture: Slumdog Millionaire
2018Turned 60
Royal wedding of Harry and Meghan; Parkland shooting
Gas: $2.72/galHome: $211,800Min wage: $7.25/hrPresident: Donald Trump"God's Plan" — DrakeBest Picture: Green Book
2026Age 68 today
Gas: $3.91/galPresident: Donald Trump
Key Achievements
- Holds the world record for the longest single spacewalk, at 8 hours and 56 minutes, performed in 2001.
- Served as a flight engineer aboard the International Space Station during the Expedition 2 mission, living in space for over 163 days.
- Flew on five Space Shuttle missions, contributing to satellite deployment, microgravity science, and ISS assembly.
- Became a lieutenant general in the U.S. Air Force, serving as commander of the 14th Air Force and Joint Functional Component Command for Space.
- Was the first female military astronaut to achieve the rank of general.
Did You Know?
She was the first U.S. military woman to enter space, flying aboard the Space Shuttle Endeavour in 1993.
Helms co-holds the record for the first-ever shuttle rendezvous with the Russian space station Mir.
A graduate of the U.S. Air Force Test Pilot School, she logged over 5,000 hours in more than 30 different aircraft.
She served as the Vice Commander of the 45th Space Wing at Patrick Air Force Base, which manages Cape Canaveral launch operations.
“The view of Earth from space is spectacular. It’s a very small, fragile-looking planet.”
