Her first encounter with the space trip was to make a cardboard rocket at school to mark the first lunar landings when she was seven years old.
Helen Sharman knew that 20 years later, she would follow the footsteps of NASA's heroes.
She was a chemist working for Mars confectionery when she was selected from 13,000 candidates for the Juno project.
It was a British private mission to put a Briton in space by paying the Soviet Union for a seat on one of his flights to Mir Station.
After 18 months of training she became the first woman to visit Mir, 27, May 1991.
During her eight days in orbit, she photographed Britain and performed medical and agricultural tests.
As the US Space Agency marks its 60th birthday, Helen, 55, proudly returns to her story and how she helped pave the way for her journey into space.
She said, "It's important that people go further than ever. We always need to push our limits as human beings.
NASA has come a long way. Their main role is to explore, not only to send things or people in the space, but also to discover the universe. "And while their goals are similar to those of other space agencies around the world, their communications about space travel in general are the best in the world."
Since its inception in 1958, NASA – # 39; National Administration of Aeronautics and Space – has brought to light the wonders of the universe.
The world has been impressed by his achievements – from the first steps of Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin on the moon in 1969 to the incredible images of the red planet issued by the rovers of Mars in recent years