Talk:Helen Sharman

Biography assessment rating comment

The article may be improved by following the WikiProject Biography 11 easy steps to producing at least a B article. -- Edofedinburgh 03:49, 25 March 2007 (UTC)

Lottery?

I'm a little confused over whether or not she got to go to space via lottery, and what that means. Several of the articles I've seen mention some sort of "lottery," but I can't seem to find what that actually entailed, or whether it was more of a competition. --NeuronExMachina 17:28, 26 August 2006 (UTC)

• There was no lottery. The lottery was a device to fund the flight, not to select the astronaut.Hektor 21:21, 26 August 2006 (UTC)
• It keeps getting mentioned in the media, most recently an AP article about the landing of Anousheh Ansari. [1] She bested a pilot, a doctor, and an aerospace engineer! I guess you can live with that sort of thing, because you did get to go to space ...--Dhartung | Talk 05:33, 29 September 2006 (UTC)
  • The selection process is described in her book, Seize the moment, which is by the way quite interesting. There was no lottery involved. In fact 13,000 people called for information, but only 5,500 indeed filled the form of application. Then there were physical and psychological downselects which brought the pool to 30, and finally to 4. The four were sent to Moscow and downselected to two.Hektor 06:53, 14 October 2006 (UTC)

Picture

It is such a shame that this article does not have a photo of Helen Sharman. Can someone add it? - Pernambuco 03:29, 4 November 2006 (UTC)

As long as it isn't the Spacefacts.de photo, which we don't have permission to use. --Dhartung | Talk 06:37, 4 November 2006 (UTC)

I could scan a cover of Spaceflight or of her book, but I am sure immediately someone would say it is not allowed.Hektor 21:57, 4 November 2006 (UTC)

Spaceflight magazine would be fair use in an article about the magazine or, failing that, British Interplanetary Society. The cover of her book, however, is fair use if Helen Sharman is the only article covering the book. (That's my reading of WP:FAIR.) --Dhartung | Talk 04:14, 5 November 2006 (UTC)

I have put the book cover, scanning my own copy. I hope this will not be challenged. Hektor 11:28, 5 November 2006 (UTC)

What was Clarke's role in the book? Some sources list him as a third author. Was it just an introduction? --Dhartung | Talk 07:00, 6 November 2006 (UTC)

Yes a typical witty Clarke introduction, a few personnal anecdotes, a few nice words. Hektor 21:23, 7 November 2006 (UTC)

Nine years later and there is still no photograph on this article. I contacted the UK's STFC who said the image they had belonged to ESA. I contacted ESA who said the image (http://www.esa.int/spaceinimages/Images/2004/05/Helen_Sharman_cosmonaut) couldn't be used although they have since removed the claim that they own the copyright from that page. I have now contacted the Yuri Gagarin Cosmonaut Training Center to ask them if they own the copyright. If they do I will ask if they would allow it to be used on Wikipedia. Astronomyblog 13:42, 21 September 2015 (UTC)

Ashkenazi Jew?

Helen Sharman is listed in the article List of Ashkenazi Jews. I don't see any reference for this elsewhere - including her book, where she does not discuss religion. Hektor 11:13, 5 November 2006 (UTC)

She has some kind of Jewish background, not entirely sure how much and how. No idea if she is observant.--MacRùsgail (talk) 16:14, 12 December 2012 (UTC)

Flame lighting

I've made two or three attempts to correct the error in this article where it incorrectly states that Sharman lit the flame at the 1991 Universiade. Someone has rather sniffily reverted the edits, noting the article "conforms to known sources". Whatever sources these are, are wrong. I was a student at the time and witnessed the opening ceremony personally. Miss Sharman was indeed selected to light the flame, and was carrying the torch through the crowd towards the flame when she rather embarrassingly tripped over her own feet and dropped the torch on the floor, spilling the flammable parts on the carpet. There ensued some seconds of flapping before she was directed by an official to continue on her way with the now non-burning torch. When she reached the main torch, she simply waved the stump of her hand-torch at it, and it was lit, as it was always going to be, automatically by an electrical ignition system. The event was cringingly embarrassing for all present and certainly impossible to forget for anyone who saw it personally. Since several thousand people were present, and several hundred thousand at least saw the event on television, corroboration should not be difficult to establish. —The preceding unsigned comment was added by 81.153.191.255 (talk • contribs) .

I've sourced it to a Guardian article (which says that she succeeded in lighting the flame). Really, it would not have been hard for you to do this, too. In any case "your own experience" is not a sufficient citation for Wikipedia. --Dhartung | Talk 06:36, 29 November 2006 (UTC)

Some observations: 1. The Guardian article is, therefore, also wrong. She was present, and the flame lit - that's all. She was not carrying a viable source of ignition when she reached the torch because she had dropped and smashed it. The flame was ignited, as it was apparently always going to anyway, by an electrical ignition system similar to that found on cookers. 2. I did do a search for any corroborative article, but since the Universiade occurred well before pervasive internet news, I was not able to find anything. You were. Well done you. 3. Eyewitness reports are inferior to inaccurate online sources? OK. Whatever. I will adjust my assessment of Wikipedia article accuracy accordingly in future. —The preceding unsigned comment was added by 212.188.147.38 (talk • contribs).

I don't know if the Guardian article is right or wrong, but the Guardian is a published source. If you can find a reliable source that we can cite that verifies your personal observation, it may be included. But your personal observation is not verifiable, thus we cannot cite it. These policies are in place to ensure that information in Wikipedia articles is as accurate as possible. In the case of living persons, we are forbidden to put uncited negative information in articles, for legal reasons that should be obvious. Please read the policies that I have linked, as they are important to one's "assessment" of Wikipedia. --Dhartung | Talk 20:54, 4 December 2006 (UTC)

I have added one word, "formally," which allows for Sharman to have performed the ceremony of appearing to light the flame, although her torch did in fact go out. As mentioned, the flame was ignited by other means anyway, and Sharman's role in lighting it was only ever going to be ceremonial. SpaceHistory101 (talk) 18:08, 22 May 2009 (UTC)

But that's not what formally means. If you don't think she actually lit the flame, we would have to state "pretended" or "participated in the lighted process" or something else strange. However, lots of flame lighting ceremonies don't actually involve the VIP using an open flame to lit the torch on fire. Rillian (talk) 23:00, 22 May 2009 (UTC)

Well, let's try "officially" instead. And I am more than happy to discuss, and be reverted - but please, without the sarcasm ("casually?") would be helpful. We're all trying to do the same thing, make this page more accurate. Thank you. SpaceHistory101 (talk) 03:10, 23 May 2009 (UTC)

Space tourist category

• Helen Sharman is in no way a space tourist and should not be categorized as such. She was a British cosmonaut-researcher of the Juno program, selected from thousands of applicants to perform a scientific program on board Mir. Hektor 08:35, 2 February 2007 (UTC)
  • Before reverting without discussion, please show a valid reference which describes Helen Sharman as a space tourist. This reference describes her as a research cosmonaut. Hektor 13:51, 8 February 2007 (UTC)

She's described as a tourist though (LA Times etc), since it was not a proper job, as Juno was a stunt project by a consortium of companies and not an ongoing space program. Similarly, US politicians who flew on the Shuttle are also so referred (also called "ballast"). These are non-professional space travellers, termed "space tourists" despite doing a some makework science from space or political factfinding. -- 65.92.246.142 (talk) 10:30, 14 April 2022 (UTC)

Astronaut or Cosmonaut?

Sharman is from the west, which tends to call their spacefarers "astronauts." However, those who flew / fly in the Soviet / Russian program, as Sharman did, are called "cosmonauts." Would it not be more accurate to call her the latter? Currently, she is called the former on this page. SpaceHistory101 (talk) 18:04, 22 May 2009 (UTC)

No. Her autobiography is subtitled "The Autobiography of Britain's First Astronaut". I think that's a good enough primary source to use astronaut. See Talk:Astronaut for lots more discussion on Astronaut v. Cosmonaut Rillian (talk) 23:03, 22 May 2009 (UTC)

Very true - good point - thanks. SpaceHistory101 (talk) 03:55, 23 May 2009 (UTC)

I saw her asked about this in an interview just after the flight, and she said that in her opinion all spacetravellers should be described as "astronauts" if you are speaking english, and "cosmonauts" if you are speaking russian.--88.112.152.215 (talk) 12:30, 29 May 2009 (UTC)

For some reason the first paragraph still called her the first British "Cosmonaut", as at 7th January 2020, rather than "Astronaut". This creates confusion. I've changed that to say first astronaut and in particular the first cosmonaut. If a reference to "Astronaut" is required, try this: (NZ Herald https://www.nzherald.co.nz/world/news/article.cfm?c_id=2&objectid=12298451), which notes in relevant part:

"In 2013, the UK Space Agency released statements describing Tim Peake - who travelled to the International Space Station in 2015 - as the UK's first official astronaut, seemingly forgetting Sharman's own trip into space." 122.57.123.239 (talk) 23:10, 6 January 2020 (UTC)

Anyone who flies aboard a Russian or Soviet launch vehicle, or aboard Mir is a cosmonaut. They might also be an astronaut though. -- 65.92.246.142 (talk) 10:31, 14 April 2022 (UTC)

Translation into Chinese Wikipedia

The 13:04, 12 January 2011 194.81.239.9 version of this article is translated into Chinese Wikipedia.--Wing (talk) 20:56, 17 January 2011 (UTC)

Hero of the soviet union

Generally was awarded to those who flew as a cosmonaut even if not a soviet national. Does anyone if she was given this honour? —Preceding unsigned comment added by 82.40.4.248 (talk) 01:57, 16 April 2011 (UTC)

She was not. Her colleague Anatoly Artsebarsky was the last one receiving the medal. Then the Soviet Union broke down. Interview with Artsebarsky 85.70.87.168 (talk) 21:53, 26 September 2012 (UTC)

English

Can users please desist from removing her from English categories. She is from Yorkshire originally.--MacRùsgail (talk) 15:45, 4 January 2013 (UTC)

Can users please desist from removing her from British categories? She is from the United Kingdom originally. Rillian (talk) 23:53, 9 January 2013 (UTC)

England is part of the UK. I know you Americans are confused about that, but it is a subset of "British", which means that there is no problem.--MacRùsgail (talk) 15:12, 11 January 2013 (UTC)

True enough, mate. But since we're talking about citizenship, British or Briton are the appropriate terms. Cheers Rillian (talk) 00:07, 12 January 2013 (UTC)

Where's the problem? There are English subcats for a number of different things! --MacRùsgail (talk) 19:40, 22 March 2013 (UTC)

PhD

As someone with a Doctorate, it is the norm in the UK to title someone withe prefix 'Dr'. I will add that. --Nozzer71 (talk) 07:37, 15 November 2015 (UTC)

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