Helen Sharman is a British chemist, cosmonaut and the first British astronaut. She graduated from the University of Sheffield in 1983, with a BSc in Chemistry. She was selected from more than 13,000 people to take part in the Project Juno, a joint Soviet-British mission to the Mir space station. In 1991 she spent 8 days on Mir, during which she conducted many experiments.

Following the Mir mission, Sharman began a variety of speaking engagements, participating in radio and television programmes and speaking at conferences. She has written publically about her experience in space and the effects it has had on her life. Sharman also continues to work as a chemical analyst and teaches students about the sciences of space.