Heidemarie Martha Stefanyshyn-Piper (born February 7, 1963) is an American Naval officer and former NASA

astronaut An astronaut (from the Ancient Greek (), meaning 'star', and (), meaning 'sailor') is a person trained, equipped, and deployed by a human spaceflight program to serve as a commander or crew member aboard a spacecraft. Although generally r ...

. She has achieved the rank of

Captain Captain is a title, an appellative for the commanding officer of a military unit; the supreme leader of a navy ship, merchant ship, aeroplane, spacecraft, or other vessel; or the commander of a port, fire or police department, election precinct, e ...

in the United States Navy. She is also a qualified and experienced salvage officer. Her major salvage projects include de-stranding the

tanker Tanker may refer to: Transportation * Tanker, a tank crewman (US) * Tanker (ship), a ship designed to carry bulk liquids ** Chemical tanker, a type of tanker designed to transport chemicals in bulk ** Oil tanker, also known as a petroleum ta ...

''Exxon Houston'' off the coast of

Barbers Point Naval Air Station Barbers Point , on O'ahu, also called John Rodgers Field (the original name of Honolulu International Airport), is a former United States Navy airfield closed in 1999, and renamed Kalaeloa Airport. Parts of the former air station ...

, on the island of Oahu, Hawaii, and developing the plan for the

Peruvian Navy The Peruvian Navy ( es, link=no, Marina de Guerra del Perú, abbreviated MGP) is the branch of the Peruvian Armed Forces tasked with surveillance, patrol and defense on lakes, rivers and the Pacific Ocean up to from the Peruvian littoral. Addit ...

salvage of the Peruvian submarine . Stefanyshyn-Piper has received numerous honors and awards, such as the Meritorious Service Medal, two Navy Commendation Medals, and two Navy Achievement Medals. She has flown on two Space Shuttle missions, STS-115 and

STS-126 STS-126 was the one hundred and twenty-fourth NASA Space Shuttle mission, and twenty-second orbital flight of the ''Space Shuttle Endeavour'' (OV-105) to the International Space Station (ISS). The purpose of the mission, referred to as ULF2 by ...

, during which she completed five spacewalks totaling 33 hours and 42 minutes. , she ranks 39th on the all-time list of space walkers by duration.

Early life and education

Stefanyshyn-Piper was born in St. Paul, Minnesota, United States, of

Ukrainian-American Ukrainian Americans ( uk, Українські американці, Ukrayins'ki amerykantsi) are Americans who are of Ukrainian ancestry. According to U.S. census estimates, in 2021 there were 1,017,586 Americans of Ukrainian descent represen ...

heritage. Her father, Michael (Mykhailo) Stefanyshyn, now deceased, was born in Polish-governed

Halychyna Galicia ()"Galicia"
''

Ukraine), and sent to work in Germany during World War II. After the end of the war, he married a

German German(s) may refer to: * Germany (of or related to) **Germania (historical use) * Germans, citizens of Germany, people of German ancestry, or native speakers of the German language ** For citizens of Germany, see also German nationality law **Ger ...

woman and they both immigrated to the U.S. Stefanyshyn-Piper's mother, Adelheid Stefanyshyn, lived in St. Paul until her death in 2018. Stefanyshyn-Piper was raised in the Ukrainian cultural community of Minneapolis–Saint Paul, is a member of ''

Plast The Plast National Scout Organization of Ukraine ( uk, Пласт Національна Скаутська Організація України, ''Plast Natsionalna Skautska Orhanizatsiia Ukrayiny''), commonly called Ukrainian Plast or simply P ...

'' – a Ukrainian

scouting Scouting, also known as the Scout Movement, is a worldwide youth movement employing the Scout method, a program of informal education with an emphasis on practical outdoor activities, including camping, woodcraft, aquatics, hiking, backpacking ...

organization, and speaks

Ukrainian Ukrainian may refer to: * Something of, from, or related to Ukraine * Something relating to Ukrainians, an East Slavic people from Eastern Europe * Something relating to demographics of Ukraine in terms of demography and population of Ukraine * So ...

. Stefanyshyn-Piper graduated in 1980 from what was then the all-girls Derham Hall High School in St. Paul, and holds Bachelor of Science (1984) and Master of Science (1985) degrees in mechanical engineering from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT). She is a licensed ham radio operator with Technician License KD5TVR. Stefanyshyn-Piper married Glenn A. Piper, and they have one son, Michael, named after Piper's grandfather. Stefanyshyn-Piper hyphenated her

surname In some cultures, a surname, family name, or last name is the portion of one's personal name that indicates one's family, tribe or community. Practices vary by culture. The family name may be placed at either the start of a person's full name ...

after marriage to serve as a reminder of her family roots.

Military career

Stefanyshyn-Piper received her commission from the Naval 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. During her Salvage tour, she participated in the de-stranding of the tanker ''Exxon Houston'' off the coast of Barbers Point in Hawaii. As of July 2009, Stefanyshyn-Piper was a Captain in the United States Navy. During her military career, she was awarded: the

Defense Superior Service Medal The Defense Superior Service Medal (DSSM) is a military decoration of the United States Department of Defense, which is presented to United States Armed Forces service members who perform superior meritorious service in a position of significant ...

, two

Legion of Merit The Legion of Merit (LOM) is a military award of the United States Armed Forces that is given for exceptionally meritorious conduct in the performance of outstanding services and achievements. The decoration is issued to members of the eight ...

medals, the Defense Meritorious Service Medal, the Meritorious Service Medal, two Navy Commendation Medals, two Navy Achievement Medals, and other service medals.

NASA career

Selected as an astronaut candidate by NASA in April 1996, Stefanyshyn-Piper reported to the

Johnson Space Center The Lyndon B. Johnson Space Center (JSC) is NASA's center for human spaceflight (originally named the Manned Spacecraft Center), where human spaceflight training, research, and flight control are conducted. It was renamed in honor of the late U ...

in August 1996. After two years of training and evaluation, she 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.

STS-115 - ''Atlantis'' (September 9–21, 2006)

Stefanyshyn-Piper flew her first mission on STS-115, aboard Space Shuttle ''Atlantis'' (launched September 9, 2006, and returned September 21), as a Mission Specialist and became only the 8th woman to perform a

spacewalk Extravehicular activity (EVA) is any activity done by an astronaut in outer space outside a spacecraft. In the absence of a breathable atmosphere of Earth, Earthlike atmosphere, the astronaut is completely reliant on a space suit for environmen ...

(out of 180 total spacewalkers). Stefanyshyn-Piper's participation in two of the mission's three EVAs for a total of 12 hours, 8 minutes made her the second most experienced female spacewalker. She also became the first Minnesota woman to go into space. *EVA One (Duration 5 hours, 26 minutes) — With astronaut

Joe Tanner Joseph Richard Tanner (born January 21, 1950) is an American instructor at the University of Colorado Boulder, mechanical engineer, a former naval officer and aviator, and a former NASA astronaut. He was born in Danville, Illinois. He is unusua ...

, Stefanyshyn-Piper conducted initial installation of the P3/P4 truss onto the space station. Connected power cables on the truss, released the launch restraints on the solar array blanket box, the Beta Gimbal Assembly, and the solar array wings. Configured the

Solar Alpha Rotary Joint The Integrated Truss Structure (ITS) of the International Space Station (ISS) consists of a linear arranged sequence of connected trusses on which various unpressurized components are mounted such as logistics carriers, radiators, solar arrays ...

(SARJ), and removed two circuit interrupt devices to prepare for STS-116. Stefanyshyn-Piper became the seventh American woman to conduct a spacewalk. *EVA Three (Duration 6 hours, 42 minutes) — With astronaut Joe Tanner, Stefanyshyn-Piper installed a radiator onto the P3/4 truss, powered up a cooling radiator for the new

solar arrays A photovoltaic system, also PV system or solar power system, is an electric power system designed to supply usable solar power by means of photovoltaics. It consists of an arrangement of several components, including solar panels to absorb and c ...

, replaced an S-Band radio antenna, and installed insulation for another antenna. Tanner took photos of the shuttle's wings using an infrared camera to test the camera's ability to detect damage. During her pre-flight interview, she described her philosophy about human exploration of space: Piper fainted twice during the STS-115 welcome home ceremony. The NASA flight surgeon who assisted her noted that "for a returning astronaut, the symptoms she experienced are very normal for what can occur during re-adaptation".

NEEMO 12 (May 7–18, 2007)

Stefanyshyn-Piper was commander of the 12th expedition of NASA Extreme Environment Mission Operations ( NEEMO), a NASA program for studying human survival in the

Aquarius Aquarius may refer to: Astrology * Aquarius (astrology), an astrological sign * Age of Aquarius, a time period in the cycle of astrological ages Astronomy * Aquarius (constellation) * Aquarius in Chinese astronomy Arts and entertainment ...

underwater laboratory in preparation for future

space exploration Space exploration is the use of astronomy and space technology to explore outer space. While the exploration of space is carried out mainly by astronomers with telescopes, its physical exploration though is conducted both by robotic spacec ...

STS-126 - ''Endeavour'' (November 14–30, 2008)

Stefanyshyn-Piper flew as a Mission Specialist on

, aboard Space Shuttle ''Endeavour'' (launched November 14, 2008, and returned November 30), during which she participated in and was ''Lead Spacewalker'' on three of four spacewalks. The mission ended when ''Endeavour'' landed successfully at

Edwards Air Force Base Edwards Air Force Base (AFB) is a United States Air Force installation in California. Most of the base sits in Kern County, but its eastern end is in San Bernardino County and a southern arm is in Los Angeles County. The hub of the base is E ...

, California. Following Stefanyshyn-Piper's third spacewalk during STS-126, her fifth overall, her total time in EVA became 33 hours, 42 minutes, putting her in twenty-fifth place for total time in EVA. STS-126 crew

*EVA One (Duration 6 hours, 52 minutes) — With astronaut

Stephen G. Bowen Stephen Gerard "Steve" Bowen (born February 13, 1964) is a United States Navy submariner and a NASA astronaut; he was the second submariner to travel into space. Bowen has been on three spaceflights, all of which were Space Shuttle missions to ...

, Stefanyshyn-Piper transferred an empty nitrogen tank assembly from ESP3 to the shuttle's cargo bay, transferred a new flex hose rotary coupler to ESP3 for future use, removed an insulation cover on the ''Kibo'' External Facility berthing mechanism, began cleaning and lubrication of the starboard SARJ, and replacement of its 11 trundle bearing assemblies. *EVA Two (Duration 6 hours, 45 minutes) — With astronaut

Robert S. Kimbrough Robert Shane Kimbrough (born June 4, 1967) is a retired United States Army officer and NASA astronaut. He was part of the first group of candidates selected for NASA astronaut training following the Space Shuttle ''Columbia'' disaster. Kimbrou ...

, Stefanyshyn-Piper relocated the two Crew and Equipment Translation Aid (CETA) carts from the starboard side of the Mobile Transporter to the port side, lubricated the station robotic arm's latching end effector A snare bearings, continued cleaning and lubrication of the starboard SARJ. EVA was conducted on the station's tenth anniversary. *EVA Three (Duration 6 hours, 57 minutes) -- With astronaut Stephen G. Bowen, Stefanyshyn-Piper completed cleaning and lubrication of all but one of the trundle bearing assemblies (TBA) on the starboard SARJ. The final TBA was replaced during EVA 4.

Lost tool bag during spacewalk

During the first EVA of STS-126 on November 18, 2008, as Stefanyshyn-Piper was preparing to begin work on the

, she noticed a significant amount of grease in her tool bag. "I think we had a grease gun explode in the large bag, because there's grease in the bag," Stefanyshyn-Piper reported to Kimbrough, who was working inside the shuttle to help coordinate the EVA. Mission Control managers instructed Stefanyshyn-Piper to clean up the grease using a dry wipe, and while she was doing the cleanup, she accidentally pushed aside the bag. "I guess one of my crew lock bags was not transferred and it's loose," Stefanyshyn-Piper told Kimbrough. The bag floated aft and starboard of the station, and did not pose a risk to the station or orbiter. The bag and its contents entered Low Earth Orbit as

space debris Space debris (also known as space junk, space pollution, space waste, space trash, or space garbage) are defunct human-made objects in space—principally in Earth orbit—which no longer serve a useful function. These include derelict spacecr ...

, where it eventually burned-up as it entered the Earth's atmosphere west of Mexico on August 3, 2009. When in orbit, it was visible from the ground using a telescope. After taking an inventory of the items inside the lost bag, managers on the ground determined that Bowen had all those items in his bag, and the two could share equipment. While it extended the EVA duration slightly, the major objectives were not changed. The estimated value of the equipment lost is US$100,000. During the Mission Status Briefing, lead International Space Station Flight Director

Ginger Kerrick Ginger Kerrick is an American physicist at NASA's Lyndon B. Johnson Space Center. She is the first Hispanic female to be flight director at NASA. Education Kerrick graduated second in her class from Hanks High School in El Paso, Texas, and was n ...

said that there was no way to know what caused the bag to come loose. "We don't know that this incident occurred because they forgot to tether something. We don't know if perhaps the hook just came loose inside the bag," Kerrick said. "You've got to remember, we are working with humans here and we are prone to human error. We do the best we can, and we learn from our mistakes." Said Stefanyshyn-Piper of the incident, "that definitely was not the high point of the EVA. It was very disheartening to watch it float away."

Retirement from NASA

In July 2009, Stefanyshyn-Piper retired from NASA's

Astronaut Corps Human spaceflight (also referred to as manned spaceflight or crewed spaceflight) is spaceflight with a crew or passengers aboard a spacecraft, often with the spacecraft being operated directly by the onboard human crew. Spacecraft can also be ...

to return to her Navy duties. Fellow astronaut Steven Lindsey, Chief of the Astronaut Office at the Johnson Space Center in Houston, stated on her retirement: "Heide has been an outstanding astronaut, contributing significantly to the Space Shuttle and Space Station programs. In particular, her superb leadership as lead spacewalker during the STS-126 mission resulted in restoring full power generation capability to the International Space Station. We wish her the best of luck back in the Navy – she will be missed." She was awarded two

NASA Space Flight Medal The NASA Space Flight Medal is a decoration of the National Aeronautics and Space Administration. According to its statutes, it is awarded "for significant achievement or service during individual participation as a civilian or military astronau ...

s, and the NASA Exceptional Service Medal. In August 2009, Stefanyshyn-Piper reported to the

Naval Sea Systems Command The Naval Sea Systems Command (NAVSEA) is the largest of the United States Navy's five "systems commands," or materiel (not to be confused with "material") organizations. From a physical perspective, NAVSEA has four shipyards for shipbuilding, c ...

as the Chief Technology Officer.

Further Navy career

On May 20, 2011 Captain Stefanyshyn-Piper became commander of the

Carderock Division of the Naval Surface Warfare Center The Carderock Division of the Naval Surface Warfare Center is one of eight Naval Sea Systems Command (NAVSEA) Surface Warfare Centers. The headquarters is located in Carderock, Maryland with the historic David Taylor Model Basin. The division i ...

in Maryland. Stefanyshyn-Piper retired from the U.S. Navy after 30 years of active duty service on July 1, 2015.

References

External links

Spacefacts.de biography of Heidemarie Stefanyshyn-Piper

Heavens Above Orbit Information

NASA biography
July 2009 {{DEFAULTSORT:Stefanyshyn-Piper, Heidemarie 1963 births Living people Aquanauts Women astronauts United States Navy astronauts People from Saint Paul, Minnesota American people of Ukrainian descent American people of German descent MIT School of Engineering alumni United States Navy captains American women engineers Female United States Navy officers Recipients of the Legion of Merit Recipients of the Defense Superior Service Medal Recipients of the NASA Exceptional Service Medal Amateur radio people Space Shuttle program astronauts Engineers from Minnesota Spacewalkers 21st-century American women Military personnel from Minnesota