Susan Jane Helms (born February 26, 1958) is a retired lieutenant general in the United States Air Force and a former NASA astronaut. She was the commander, 14th Air Force (Air Forces Strategic); and commander, Joint Functional Component Command for Space at Vandenberg Air Force Base in California. Helms was a crew member on five Space Shuttle missions and was a resident of the International Space Station (ISS) for over five months in 2001. While participating in ISS Expedition 2, she and Jim Voss conducted an 8-hour and 56 minute spacewalk, the longest to date. Helms officially retired from the United States Air Force in 2014.