Kathryn Sullivan

Kathryn SullivanNASAKathy Sullivan, the first US female astronaut to perform an EVA (spacewalk), exhibits many admirable qualities. Sullivan is the kind of hero who is important to modern times because she wasn't afraid to literally explore her physical and mental boundaries and take charge of a daunting task. Without people like her, we would be stuck with less knowledge of the universe, methods of spaceflight, or alternative travel. If life on Earth suddenly ended and we hadn’t had any outside exploration and preparation for the future, Earth's entire population would be wiped out. Imagine having the opportunity to step out into the unknown and actively contribute to expanding our knowledge of the universe. Kathy Sullivan got this opportunity and performed very well, exhibiting important heroic qualities that include mental, physical, and emotional bravery, dependability, and direct and indirect leadership on her missions and throughout the rest of her life.

It took great bravery, especially emotional, for Sullivan to submit for the astronaut program. Exploration, specifically maps and landscapes, terrestrial, outer space, and underwater, appealed to her, and she was always interested in finding out more about them from a young age (Diaz-Sprague). Many people dream their entire life of being an astronaut just to have those dreams shot down when they get rejected from the program. This process can take a huge emotional toll because there is so much riding on one application. Once Sullivan got in, it took even more bravery to face the challenges in training and what was ahead. Astronaut training requires physical and mental strength. You have to be tough and jump head-first into the tasks presented to you. Liftoff must have been terrifying! Sullivan knew the risks of launching and spaceflight. Anything could go wrong at any moment with limited resources and communication available. When it finally came time for Sullivan’s EVA on her first mission, it took enormous amounts of bravery and trust to step out into the cold, empty vacuum of space. Even after her mission was over, it took more bravery and determination to continue with NASA and take part in two additional shuttle missions. “Sullivan was the first woman to walk in space, completing three successful shuttle missions in her lifetime and being inaugurated into the Astronaut Hall of Fame” (Biographical Data). Bravery is a good trait to have because if you are not brave and do things that push your limits, you might not learn your boundaries and the extent of what you can actually achieve. Kathy Sullivan exhibited a vast amount of bravery while in NASA’s astronaut program and went on to do more great things and be an example for women and aspiring astronauts everywhere. “After spending a total of 532 hours in space, Sullivan left NASA in 1993 to take a series of distinguished positions, first as chief scientist at the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) and now as the administrator of NOAA since early 2013” (Neal).

Kathryn SullivanNASA

Kathy Sullivan was greatly dependable, which added to her heroic qualities. NASA and Sullivan's fellow astronauts could depend on her to carry out her work on time and do tasks effectively. If Sullivan hadn’t done something correctly or not at all, something could have gone wrong and someone could have gotten hurt, or the mission could have failed and set the program back. Dependability is a good trait for that reason. When you depend on someone, you expect them to do a specific thing. If they don’t follow through, things could go wrong and you can lose trust in that person or, in some cases, a life. Missions that are not successful or do not get everything done that they were supposed to take even more time and expenses to go up again and redo the task. 

Kathryn SullivanNASASullivan’s leadership was present from the moment she applied for the astronaut program and has carried out past her time with NASA and on to her administration position at NOAA. Her overall leadership is what has made her dependable and brave. She took the initiative to be an explorer in dangerous environments and led her teams effectively, following directions, making sure things get done, everyone is doing their job, and everyone is safe. “Dr. Sullivan served as Payload Commander on STS-45, the first Spacelab mission dedicated to NASA’s Mission to Planet Earth” (Biographical Data). Payload commander is an important job because you are in charge of everything that is in the payload and what happens in the payload. Leadership is a great characteristic to have, especially in heroes, because sometimes taking charge can be the difference between life and death. Leaders can be both direct and indirect, either leading by example in a group or directly being in charge. Sullivan had opportunities to be both kinds of leaders in her space career. Leadership is also what keeps things organized, which is very important for missions in space. Because of her ability to lead effectively and efficiently, NASA continued to have her in the space program for three shuttle missions where she flew as a mission specialist, conducting research, and performing her EVA (on her first mission). “One of her more notable achievements on the shuttle and in the space industry was serving on the shuttle that launched HUBBLE” (Mitchell), which has expanded our knowledge of our natural world more than we could have ever imagined.

“Biographical Data.” sullivan_kathryn.Pdf, Lyndon B. Johnson Space Center, 2014, www.nasa.gov/sites/default/files/atoms/files/sullivan_kathryn.pdf.

Diaz-Sprague, Raquel. “Kathy Sullivan.” The MY HERO Project, 2005, myhero.com/Kathy_Sullivan.

Mitchell, Alison, and Nick Partridge. “Former Astronaut and NOAA Administrator Kathy D. Sullivan Named National Air and Space Museum's Lindbergh Fellow.” National Air and Space Museum, 26 Jan. 2017, airandspace.si.edu/newsroom/press-releases/former-astronaut-and-noaa-administrator-kathy-d-sullivan-named-national-air.

NASA. “Dr. Kathryn D. Sullivan.” https://airandspace.si.edu/file/8534, NASA, October 11, 2014

NASA. “Kathryn Sullivan, American Original.” https://www.nasa.gov/multimedia/imagegallery/image_feature_932.html, NASA Content Administrator, August 7, 2017 

Neal, Valerie. “America's First Spacewalking Woman: Kathryn D. Sullivan.” National Air and Space Museum, 11 Oct. 2019, airandspace.si.edu/stories/editorial/america%E2%80%99s-first-spacewalking-woman-kathryn-d-sullivan.

Richard Pallardy. “Sullivan, Kathryn.” https://www.britannica.com/biography/Kathryn-Sullivan, Eric Gregersen, March 2, 2010