About

Vanessa Camilla Damphousse is from a well-to-do New York family and attended the California Institute of Technology where she earned a degree in Nuclear Physics. She interned during two summers at the San Onofre nuclear power plant, where her father was Chief Engineer, and went on to earn a Master's degree in Engineering.

She left her fiancé and his daughter Janice behind and signed up for the United States Marine Corps Air and Space Cavalry in order to find a direction for her life. She was almost finished with Officer Candidate School (OCS) and Accelerated Flight Training (AFT) when news of the Vesta Colony and Tellus Colonies being destroyed by aliens was released and the Chig War began. Vanessa was assigned as a pilot (callsign “Ace of Hearts”) in the USMC 58th Squadron – the Wild Cards, embarked in USS SARATOGA, a United States Navy space carrier.

Vanessa treats her squad mates and others with warmth and understanding, looking for what is good in each individual.

Source: http://spaceaboveandbeyond.wikia.com/wiki/1LT_Vanessa_Damphousse