With a BSc in Chemistry from the University of Sheffield and a PhD from Birkbeck, University of London, Helen Sharman is a former cosmonaut with a difference - she was the first Briton in space. Prior to being the first woman to visit the Mir Space Station in 1991, she was a research and development technologist for GEC in London and later a chemist for Mars, dealing with flavouring properties of chocolate.
After a fateful radio advertisement called for prospective applicants to be the first British cosmonaut, Helen beat nearly 13,000 other applicants to be selected for the mission, live on ITV in 1989. The space programme was called Project Juno and was in collaboration with the Soviet Union, co-sponsored by a portion of British companies.
In order to fly, Helen spent 18 months completing a gruelling training regime in Star City. Amongst learning many new skills, Helen had to speak Russian, cope inside a cramped space capsule, prepare for weightlessness and achieve a sea landing. Though the Project Juno consortium failed to raise the monies expected, the project went ahead under Soviet expense. Due to this, as a cost-saving measure, the original materials were swapped for cheaper alternatives.
The Soyuz TM-12 mission at the Mir Space Station, which included Soviet cosmonauts Anatoly Artsebarsky and Sergei Krikalev, launched in 1991. Helen's job was to produce medical and agricultural test results, photograph the British Isles, and participate in a licensed amateur radio show for British schoolchildren. Due to her contribution to the mission, Helen was awarded a star on the Sheffield Walk of Fame.
