Shannon Lucid holds the distinction of being the woman to orbit the earth for the longest period of time. She was recently awarded the Congressional Space Medal of Honor, the only woman to ever receive that honor. She was born in China and grew up in Bethany, Oklahoma; her undergraduate and graduate degrees are all from the University of Oklahoma. Her degrees are in chemistry and biochemistry. She served as a mission specialist on STS-51G (June 17-24, 1985), STS-34 (October 18-23, 1989), STS-43 (August 2-11, 1991), STS-58 (October 18 to November 1, 1993), and most recently served as a Board Engineer 2 on Russia's Space Station Mir.