Heidemarie Stefanyshyn Piper

Heidemarie Martha StefanyshynPiper is an American Naval officer and a former NASA astronaut. She has achieved the rank of Captain in the United States Navy. She is also a qualified and experienced salvage officer. Her major salvage projects include destranding the tanker Exxon Houston off the coast of Barbers Point, on the island of Oahu, Hawaii, and developing the plan for the Peruvian Navy salvage of the Peruvian submarine Pacocha.

StefanyshynPiper was born in St. Paul, Minnesota, United States, of UkrainianAmerican heritage. Her father, Michael Stefanyshyn, now deceased, was born in the Halychyna region of Ukraine, and sent to work in Germany during World War II. After the end of the war, he married a German woman and they both immigrated to the U.S. StefanyshynPipers mother, Adelheid Stefanyshyn, still lives in St. Paul. StefanyshynPiper was raised in the Ukrainian cultural community of MinneapolisSaint Paul, is a member of Plast a Ukrainian scouting organization, and speaks Ukrainian.

Source: Wikipedia