Moon landing jump starts general’s own space legacy

When Neil Armstrong made history with man’s first footsteps on the moon, Susan Helms needed a little nudging from her mom to get excited. And get excited she did. She realized that there would never be another first step on the moon, and even as a young 11-year-old, knew the feat was something special.

Little did she know that a little more than two decades later, then Maj. Helms would be the first woman military astronaut to fly in space.

“I would read books on science, the planets, the universe and nature,” Helms said. “I spent a lot of time with my nose in a book.”
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