Veteran Astronaut Heidemarie M. Stefanyshyn-Piper Leaves NASA

HOUSTON — NASA astronaut and U.S. Navy Capt. Heidemarie M. Stefanyshyn-Piper has left NASA to return to the Navy. Stefanyshyn-Piper is a veteran of two space shuttle flights and five spacewalks.

“Heide has been an outstanding astronaut, contributing significantly to the space shuttle and space station programs,” said Steve Lindsey, chief of the Astronaut Office at NASA’s Johnson Space Center in Houston. “In particular, her superb leadership as lead spacewalker during the STS-126 mission resulted in restoring full power generation capability to the International Space Station. We wish her the best of luck back in the Navy — she will be missed.”

NASA selected Stefanyshyn-Piper as an astronaut in April 1996. She flew on the STS-115 mission in 2006 and STS-126 in 2008, logging more than 27 days in space and more than 33 hours spacewalking. Her flights to the space station helped install a truss segment and expanded the living quarters for additional crew members to live at the station.

For Stefanyshyn-Piper’s complete biography, visit: http://www.jsc.nasa.gov/Bios/htmlbios/stefanys.html

For information about NASA and agency programs, visit: http://www.nasa.gov

Editor’s note: According to her official bio online at NASA at “Captain Heide Stefanyshyn-Piper retired from NASA in July 2009 to return to the U.S. Navy at the Naval Sea Systems Command in Washington D.C.”