Susan J. Helms

Lt. Gen. Susan J. Helms is is a retired lieutenant general in the United States Air Force and a former NASA astronaut. She was Commander, 14th Air Force (Air Forces Strategic), Air Force Space Command; and Commander, Joint Functional Component Command for Space, U.S. Strategic Command at Vandenberg Air Force Base in California. She was directly responsible to the USSTRATCOM Commander for the development and implementation of national security policy and guidance and responsible for the development of the nation's strategic war plan, strategic support plans for combatant commanders and contingency planning for the global strike mission. She has served as an F-15 and F-16 weapons separation engineer and a flight test engineer.