Astronaut, Military Pilot, Speaker
– NASA Astronaut, Retired – Mission Specialist on 4 space shuttle flights (STS-67, STS-86, STS-91, STS-114); Logged 51 days, 3 hours and 56 minutes in space
– US Navy Helicopter Pilot with 1,500+ hours in 6 different types of helicopters. One of the first two female helicopter pilots to make a long deployment to the Indian Ocean as part of a Carrier Battle Group
– Crewmember and Robotic Arm operator on first Return to Flight mission after Columbia accident
– One of only 11 NASA astronauts who trained for missions onboard the Russian space station Mir
– Physics instructor and the novice women’s crew coach at the US Naval Academy (1990-1992). She coached her teams to first and second place finishes, respectively, at the Dad Vail Regatta (equivalent to NCAA Division II Championship)
– First female Naval Academy graduate to become an astronaut (and member of the second class to graduate women from the academy)
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Biography
Wendy Lawrence (Captain, US Navy, Retired) is an engineer, pilot (helicopter), and a former NASA Astronaut. She flew on four space shuttle missions: STS-67, STS-86, STS-91 and STS-114.
After graduation from the US Naval Academy with a Bachelor’s of Science degree in Ocean Engineering, Lawrence became a Naval Aviator and logged more than 1,500 hours of flight time in six different types of helicopters while making more than 800 shipboard landings. Lawrence also earned a Master of Science Degree in Ocean Engineering from MIT and Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution. She was selected by NASA for astronaut training in 1992.
Lawrence’s first spaceflight was STS-67 aboard Discovery, which marked the end of the Shuttle/Mir program that was a precursor to the International Space Station. This mission was the second flight of the ASTRO observatory, a unique complement of three telescopes used to conduct astronomical observations in the ultraviolet spectral regions.
STS-86 on Atlantis was the seventh shuttle mission to the Mir space station. Lawrence served as a Mission Specialist on this flight due to her extensive experience with Mir systems and crew transfer logistics.
STS-91 was the final Shuttle/Mir docking mission. Lawrence served as Mission Specialist for this flight aboard Discovery. This flight marked the end of the Phase 1 program that was a precursor to the International Space Station.
Lawrence made her final spaceflight aboard Discovery for STS-114. This was the first Return to Flight mission after the Columbia disaster. This flight’s primary mission was to test and evaluate new Space Shuttle flight safety techniques but it also delivered supplies to ISS and carried Raffaello a Multi-Purpose Logistics Module (MPLM). Lawrence was in charge of the supply transfer and also an operator for the station robotic arm on this flight.
When not flying in space, Lawrence held various jobs within NASA and the Astronaut office to include flight software verification in the Shuttle Avionics Integration Lab (SAIL), Director of Operations Russia in Star City, Russia at the Gagarin Cosmonaut Training Center (GCTC) and Astronaut Office representative for ISS crew training and support. Lawrence also trained as a crewmember for a Mir mission.
Lawrence is passionate about students and inspiring the next generation to “Dare to Dream” especially in fields of STEM.
Organizational Involvement Includes:
• Association of Space Explorers
• Association of Naval Aviation
• Women Military Aviators
• Phi Kappa Phi
Awards & Honors Include:
• National Navy League Captain Winifred Collins Award for Inspirational Leadership
• Defense Superior Service Medal
• Legion of Merit
• Defense Meritorious Service Medal
• NASA Space Flight Medal
• Navy Commendation Medal
Speaking Points Include:
• Living and Working in Space
• Dare to Dream!
• Importance of STEM
• Lessons Learned from the Columbia Accident
• Team-building and Mission Accomplishment
