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Helen Patricia Sharman Order of the British
Empire|OBE (born May 30, 1963), is a former United
Kingdom|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.