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Com m ander Heidem arie Stefanyshyn-Piper Honored at Embassy o f Ukraine by Oksana Xenos, UNW LA Parliamentarian “I never thought my fath er’s dream (of our great successes) would come true fo r our fam ily! ” With these words, Commander Heidemarie Stefanyshyn-Piper, the first Ukrainian American astronaut, acknowledged the support of her family and the Ukrainian community at a reception fol lowing the successful completion of the Atlantis STS-115 space mission. The Atlantis mission was launched from Cape Canaveral, Florida, on Sep tember 9, 2006, with six astronauts on board, including Cmdr. Stefanyshyn-Piper. During its 12- day mission, the Atlantis shuttle crew successfully delivered and installed solar equipment that will eventually provide one quarter of the International Space Station’s power. Along with representatives from the Natio nal Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA), the U. S. State Department, the media, and members of the Ukrainian community, I attended the special reception in Cmdr. Stefanyshyn-Piper’s honor at the Embassy of Ukraine on October 23, 2006. On behalf of the Ukrainian National Women’s League of America, I congratulated Cmdr. Stefanyshyn- Piper, noting her unprecedented accomplishments as an astronaut and role model for Ukrainian American women. Cmdr. Stefanyshyn-Piper, 43, hails from St. Paul, Minnesota, where she was active in PLAST Ukrainian Scouting Organization, the local Ukrainian dance ensemble, the school of Ukrainian studies, and St. Constantine Ukrainian Catholic Church. She holds Bachelor of Science and Master’s degrees in mechanical engineering from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) and is a Captain in the U. S. Navy. Cmdr. Stefanyshyn-Piper and her husband Glenn have a teenage son. During the reception, Ambassador Sham- shur presented to Cmdr. Stefanyshyn-Piper a letter of greetings from Ukrainian President Viktor Yushchenko, along with a painting of the Pecherska Lavra. Cmdr. Stefanyshyn-Piper, in turn, presented Ambassador Shamshur with a photo of Kyiv taken aboard the Atlantis from outer space. Speaking proudly of her Ukrainian heritage, Cmdr. Stefanyshyn-Piper stated that she had taken along with her on the space mission a Ukrainian PLAST scouting emblem. She also disclosed her plans to visit Ukraine in the near future where she has two uncles and two aunts on her father’s side. In recognition of her Ukrainian ancestry, NASA’s mission controllers even woke the Atlantis crew one morning of the flight to the sounds of Taras Shevchenko’s “Учітеся, брати мої.” Also in attendance were all but one of the other crew members of the Atlantis who, together with Cmdr. Stefanyshyn-Piper, gave an informative video presentation of their space flight, highlighting Cmdr. Stefanyshyn-Piper’s two impressive walks in space. Cmdr. Stefanyshyn-Piper’s space walks are of particular significance, considering that since 1965, when the United States first sent an astronaut on a walk in orbit, only a handful of the 157 spacewalkers have been women. Among the chief reasons female spacewalkers are few is that strength and a long reach are critical on a space walk, and women, on average, are shorter and less muscular than men. Cmdr. Stefanyshyn-Piper’s height (5’10”), her upper-body strength gained as a member of MIT’s rowing team, and her experience as an accomplished Navy diver made her uniquely qualified to perform the complex, physically demanding tasks associated with spacewalking. During the Atlantis mission, Cmdr. Stefanyshyn- Piper made two space walks totaling 13 hours, making her the second most experienced female spacewalker in history. Видання C оюзу Українок A мерики - перевидано в електронному форматі в 2012 році . A рхів C У A - Ню Йорк , Н . Й . C Ш A.
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