Linda Maxine Godwin Ph.D. (born July 2, 1952) is an American scientist and retired NASA astronaut. Godwin joined NASA in 1980 and became an astronaut in July 1986. She retired in 2010. During her career, Godwin completed four space flights and logged over 38 days in space. Godwin is the Assistant to the Director for Exploration, Flight Crew Operations Directorate at the Johnson Space Center. Since retiring she accepted the position of Professor in the Department of Physics and Astronomy of the University of Missouri.