A 1981 Naval Academy graduate, Capt. Wendy Lawrence became the first woman Naval Academy graduate to go into space in 1995. A Navy helicopter pilot with 11 years of service, Lawrence earned more than 1,500 hours flight time in six types of helicopters and made more than 800 shipboard landings. While stationed at Helicopter Combat Support Squadron (HC) 6, she was one of the first two women helicopter pilots to make a long deployment to the Indian Ocean as part of a carrier battle group. Selected by NASA in 1992, Lawrence reported to the Johnson Space Center in 1992. She completed one year of training and qualified for flight assignment as a mission specialist. A veteran of four space flights, Lawrence has logged over 1,225 hours in space. Lawrence retired from NASA in 2006.

Last Updated: 29 March 2023