Helen Sharman CMG OBE

Helen is a pioneer, role model, science communicator and world-class inspirational speaker. She became the first British Astronaut in May 1991, aged 27, when she spent 8 days orbiting the Earth.

A superb speaker, Helen takes her audience on a journey, as she describes aspects of the training, launch and landing, the teamwork, how weightlessness feels, and the benefits and challenges of spaceflight as the space economy becomes increasingly commercial.

Invited to speak worldwide at corporate, public, government, academic and school events, her presentation can include a wide variety of topics including: living in space, teamwork, leadership, communication, collaboration, and motivation.

(Note to Event Planners: not all these topics can fit into just one speech, in detail.)

Her presentation may include slides, some of which Helen took during her training and spaceflight.

Helen says “We should push forward, not only our individual boundaries, but also the boundaries of what humans believe is possible. People are the biggest limitations in our own lives. There's a huge amount we can do and we should make the best use of our lives for the benefit of the world.”

Helen did not think she stood the smallest chance of being selected when she applied, after hearing an advert on the car radio on her way home from work.  Over 13,000 other people also applied for this one-off opportunity.

But Helen was exactly the type of person they were looking for - calm, practical, friendly, professional, a team player.

Two people were chosen for the rigorous training but only one – Helen – went into Space.

Before starting her training, Helen underwent the rigorous selection process with psychological and medical assessments, technical understanding, and practical skills. This was followed by 18 months of intensive spaceflight training, which included learning Russian, preparing for feeling weightless and g-force, learning how to cope inside a cramped space capsule, how to deal with a landing in the sea and training for all possible scenarios (positive and negative) which might happen when in orbit, travelling at 17 500 miles an hour.

Helen carried out spacecraft operations during the launch.  On board the Space Station, her tasks included medical, agricultural and chemical experiments, materials testing, Earth observation work and operating an amateur radio link with British school students. Media interviews were a frequent occurrence.

Coping with risk was a daily activity. Teamwork was a vital element for success.

Helen has not returned to space. But, like every other astronaut, she would love to go to space again, to experience the feeling of weightlessness, the camaraderie …. and the amazing and beautiful views of Earth and the stars.

After her successful spaceflight, Helen chose to become a science communicator and speaker. She has won numerous prizes for radio and TV programmes and for her inspirational talks on teamwork, STEM, science communication and motivation.

She often meets teachers who were inspired to study science after hearing her speak: her speech changed their lives, and now they pass on their passion and expertise to new generations of young scientists and engineers.

In his Foreword to Helen’s book Seize the Moment, Arthur C Clarke wrote: “Her account of the hours before the launch and the actual sensations during ascent into orbit is so gripping that any reader will feel a vicarious involvement. This is exactly what it must be like.”

Helen Sharman received her BSc in Chemistry at Sheffield University. She worked in Research & Development for GEC before moving to Mars Confectionery as a Research Technologist working on chocolate and ice cream.

Later, Helen managed a research group at the National Physical Laboratory in London.

She now works part-time as the UK Outreach Ambassador for Imperial College London. Helen is President of the IST (Institute of Science and Technology), and she sits on the Science Museum’s Advisory Board. 

Helen hosts the Zero Pressure podcast, a relaxed conversation with people on the cutting edge, looking at how science and technology can contribute to solving complex, interrelated global challenges of today and tomorrow.  

On 01 January 2024, Audible released their brand-new podcast “Discover your Inner Astronaut” co-hosted by Helen Sharman and the American astronaut Nicole Stott.

In April 2021, Helen accepted the invitation from The Royal Osteoporosis Society to become an Ambassador for that charity, with her interest in bone health in adults of all ages. Much of the research into bone health is being carried out through experiments in Space.

She is an active member of the Association of Space Explorers (members must complete a full orbit of the Earth to qualify for membership!).

The space-suit worn by Helen is on display at the Science Museum in London.

Her flight suit, worn in space, is on display with some of her other space-flown artefacts in the National Space Centre in Leicester. 

Helen Sharman was awarded the OBE for her pioneering work in 1993.  In the New Year Honours List 2018, Helen was further awarded a rare honour, made a Companion of the Order of St Michael and St George (CMG) for services to Science and Technology Educational Outreach.