NASA Astronaut Hediemarie Stefanyshyn-Piper

Full Colour 8"x10" Glossy Photo of NASA Astronaut Heidemarie Stefanyshyn-Piper.

Heidemarie M. Stefanyshyn-Piper (CAPTAIN, USN) NASA Astronaut

PERSONAL DATA: Born February 7, 1963 in St. Paul, Minnesota. Married to Glenn A. Piper. They have one son. She enjoys scuba diving, swimming, running, roller blading, ice skating. As an undergraduate, she competed in intercollegiate athletics on MIT's crew team. Her mother, Adelheid Stefanyshyn, resides in St. Paul, Minnesota. Her father, Michael Stefanyshyn, is deceased. His parents, Glenn & Gerry Piper, reside in Clarkston, Washington.

EDUCATION: Graduated from Derham Hall High School, St. Paul, Minnesota, in 1980; received a bachelor of science degree in mechanical engineering from Massachusetts Institute of Technology in 1984, and a master of science degree in mechanical engineering from Massachusetts Institute of Technology in 1985.

ORGANIZATIONS: American Society of Mechanical Engineers.

SPECIAL HONORS: Received "VADM C.R. Bryan Award" Class 2-88B, Engineering Duty Officer Basic Course. Awarded Meritorious Service Medal, 2 Navy Commendation Medals, 2 Navy Achievement Medals, and other service medals. "Most Valuable Player Award" MIT Women's Crew in 1982.

EXPERIENCE: Stefanyshyn-Piper received her commission from the Navy ROTC Program at MIT in June 1985. She completed training at the Naval Diving and Salvage Training Center in Panama City, Florida as a Navy Basic Diving Officer and Salvage Officer. She completed several tours of duty as an Engineering Duty Officer in the area of ship maintenance and repair. She qualified as a Surface Warfare Officer onboard USS GRAPPLE (ARS 53). In September 1994, Stefanyshyn-Piper reported to the Naval Sea Systems Command as Underwater Ship Husbandry Operations Officer for the Supervisor of Salvage and Diving. In that capacity, she advised fleet diving activities in the repair of naval vessels while waterborne. Additionally she is a qualified and experienced salvage officer. Major salvage projects include: development of salvage plan for the Peruvian Navy salvage of the Peruvian submarine PACOCHA; and de-stranding of the tanker EXXON HOUSTON, off the coast of Barber's Point, on the island of Oahu, Hawaii.

NASA EXPERIENCE: Selected as an astronaut candidate by NASA in April 1996, Stefanyshyn-Piper reported to the Johnson Space Center in August 1996. Having completed two years of training and evaluation, she is qualified for flight assignment as a mission specialist. Initially assigned to astronaut support duties for launch and landing, she has also served as lead Astronaut Office Representative for Payloads and in the Astronaut Office EVA branch. In 2006, Stefanyshyn-Piper served as a mission specialist on STS-115 logging over 12 days in space, including 13 hours and 8 minutes in two EVAs. Stefanyshyn-Piper is assigned to the crew of STS-126 targeted for launch in November 2008. Endeavour will carry a reusable logistics module that will hold supplies and equipment essential to sustain a crew of six on the International Space Station, including additional crew quarters, a regenerative life support system, and a Resistive Exercise Device (RED).

SPACE FLIGHT EXPERIENCE: STS-115 Atlantis (September 9-21, 2006) successfully restarted assembly of the International Space Station. During the 12-day mission the crew delivered and installed the massive P3/P4 truss, and two sets of solar arrays that will eventually provide one quarter of the station’s power. The crew also performed unprecedented robotic work using the Shuttle’s arm. With fellow crew member, Joe Tanner, Stefanyshyn-Piper made two spacewalks (EVAs) that completed truss installation, enabled the solar arrays to be deployed and prepared an important radiator for later activation. They also replaced an S-Band Antenna, signal processor and transponder that transmits voice and data to the ground and retrieved an external science payload for return to earth.

OCTOBER 2008