Helen Sharman
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Helen Patricia Sharman OBE (born May 30, 1963), is a former British astronaut. She was the first Briton in space, and the first non-Soviet, non-American woman in space on Soyuz TM-12 which took off on May 18, 1991.
Sharman was born in Sheffield, she is single and has no children. Before becoming an astronaut she worked as a chemist for Mars Incorporated. She was selected as astronaut on November 25, 1989 after responding to a radio advertisement asking for applicants to be the first British astronaut. The mission was known as Project Juno and was funded by the Soviet Union and a group British companies. Helen Sharman was selected from a field of over 13,000 applicants.
Before flying, Helen spent 18 months of intensive flight training in Star City.
The Soyuz TM-12 mission, which included Soviet cosmonauts Anatoly Artebartsky and Sergei Krikalyov lasted 8 days, most of that time spent at the Mir space station. Her tasks included medical and agricultural tests, photographing the British Isles and participating in an amateur radio hookup with British schoolchildren.
For her pioneering efforts, Sharman was appointed an OBE in 1993. She has not returned to space since this mission and now works as a broadcaster and lecturer specialising in science education.