Heidemarie Stefanyshyn-Piper

Heidemarie Stefanyshyn-Piper's resume genuinely stops me in my tracks. From Saint Paul to MIT, then rising to Navy Captain, qualifying as a NASA astronaut, and serving as a salvage officer who works the deep sea, she has lived several extraordinary lives in one. Few humans have both flown in space and mastered the ocean floor. The Legion of Merit and NASA's recognition confirm that her intellect and toughness are entirely real. To have blazed this trail in eras when women were still rare in both the military and spaceflight takes formidable nerve. If I had to point a child toward a role model, her name would come first.

Name (English)

Heidemarie Stefanyshyn-Piper

Name (Japanese)

ハイディマリー・ステファニション＝パイパー

Reading

はいでぃまりー・すてふぁにしょん＝ぱいぱー

Born

February 7, 1963 (age 63)

Zodiac / Chinese zodiac

Aquarius / Rabbit

Origin

Saint Paul, Minnesota, United States

Occupation

naval officer / astronaut / engineer / hydronaut

High school

Cretin-Derham Hall High School

Awards & achievements

• Legionnaire of Legion of Merit
• NASA Exceptional Service Medal
• Order of Princess Olga, 3rd class

Motto

Private

• Wikipedia (Japanese)https://ja.wikipedia.org/wiki/%E3%83%8F%E3%82%A4%E3%83%87%E3%82%A3%E3%83%9E%E3%83%AA%E3%83%BC%E3%83%BB%E3%82%B9%E3%83%86%E3%83%95%E3%82%A1%E3%83%8B%E3%82%B7%E3%83%A7%E3%83%B3%EF%BC%9D%E3%83%91%E3%82%A4%E3%83%91%E3%83%BC

Tags

• Minnesota
• naval officer
• astronaut
• engineer

Last updated

2026-06-02

Facts are limited to publicly available information up to 2024; non-public or unconfirmed items are omitted. English text is machine-assisted (facts translated by Sonnet, "My Take" written by Opus 4.8). The Japanese page is the source of record.