Born: 1959 (Jacksonville, Florida)
Wendy Barrien Lawrence (born July 2, 1959) is a retired United States Navy Captain, an engineer, and former helicopter pilot and NASA astronaut. She was the first female graduate of the United States Naval Academy to fly into space and she has also visited the Russian Space Station Mir. She was a mission specialist on STS-114, the first Space Shuttle flight after the Space Shuttle Columbia disaster. She is married to Cathy Watson, a former NASA scientist.
Early life:
Wendy Lawrence was born in Jacksonville, Florida. She comes from a family with a strong military background, as both her father and grandfather were naval aviators. Her father, Vice Admiral William P. Lawrence, was a Mercury astronaut finalist and a former Vietnam prisoner of war. He also served as the Superintendent of the U.S. Naval Academy while Wendy was a midshipman there. In fact, the destroyer USS William P. Lawrence (DDG-110) is named after him.
Education:
After graduating from Fort Hunt High School in Alexandria, Virginia in 1977, Wendy Lawrence went on to attend the U.S. Naval Academy. She graduated in 1981 with a Bachelor of Science in Ocean Engineering. Following her time at the academy, she pursued higher education and earned a Master of Science in Ocean Engineering from the joint program between the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution in 1988.
Military career:
Wendy Lawrence’s military career began after her graduation from the U.S. Naval Academy in 1981. She excelled in flight school and was designated as a Naval Aviator in July 1982. Throughout her career, Lawrence accumulated more than 1,500 hours of flight time in six different types of helicopters and completed over 800 shipboard landings.
One of Lawrence’s significant achievements was being one of the first two female helicopter pilots to make a long deployment to the Indian Ocean as part of a carrier battle group while serving in Helicopter Combat Support Squadron 6 (HC-6). After completing her master’s degree program, she was assigned to Helicopter Anti-Submarine Squadron Light 30 (HSL-30) as the Officer-in-charge of Detachment Alpha. She also served as a physics instructor and the novice women’s crew coach at the U.S. Naval Academy.
NASA career:
Wendy Lawrence’s ambition led her to pursue a career in the field of space exploration. She joined NASA in 1992 and became a part of the 14th class of astronaut candidates. Her dedication and expertise led to her selection as a mission specialist on STS-114, the first Space Shuttle flight after the Space Shuttle Columbia disaster in 2003. This mission was crucial in ensuring the safety and reliability of future shuttle flights.
Throughout her NASA career, Wendy Lawrence’s contributions were instrumental in advancing space exploration and expanding our understanding of the universe. She played a key role in numerous missions, including the deployment of satellites and the study of space-based experiments. Her work on the Mir Space Station furthered our knowledge of long-duration space flight and contributed to international collaboration in space exploration.
Awards:
– Defense Distinguished Service Medal
– The NASA Exceptional Service Medal
– The NASA Space Flight Medal
– The Defense Superior Service Medal
– The Navy League’s John Paul Jones Award for Inspirational Leadership
– The Distinguished Flying Cross
– The Honorary Doctorate of Philosophy from the University of South Florida
Wendy B. Lawrence’s passion for space exploration, her pioneering achievements, and her dedication to the advancement of science have had a substantial impact on society. As the first female graduate of the United States Naval Academy to fly into space, she has paved the way for future generations of women in STEM fields. Her contributions to NASA and her commitment to excellence make her a role model for aspiring astronauts and scientists worldwide. In recognition of her remarkable achievements and her lasting impact on women’s history, Wendy B. Lawrence is an inspiration to all.