Eileen Collins was the first woman to pilot and command a United States
space shuttle.
Early Life
Eileen Collins was in born on November 19, 1956 in Elmira, New York.
While growing up during the Space Age of the 1960s, Collins became interested
in space flight at a young age. She watched Star
Trek and Lost in Space,
television shows to which her mother attributed her interest in space. "Eileen's
love of flying really started with Star
Trek," her mother explained. "She used to come straight home from school
and watch it whenever she could".
Collins' parents would also take Eileen to the Elmira-Corning Regional Airport
to watch planes take off and land. In addition, Collins was inspired by famous
women aviators such as Amelia Earhart and the women military pilots of World
War II. Their stories encouraged Collins to save money to earn her pilot's
license.
Education and
Experience
After graduating from the Elmira
Free Academy
in 1974, Eileen Collins attended Corning
Community College and
earned an Associate's degree in mathematics / science. She went on to attend Syracuse University, where she earned a Bachelor
of Arts degree in mathematics and economics in 1978.
In 1979, Collins completed U.S. Air Force undergraduate pilot
training at Vance Air Force Base (AFB) in Oklahoma. Upon graduation, Collins worked at
Vance AFB as a T-38 instructor pilot until 1982. She then became a C-141
aircraft commander and instructor pilot at Travis Air Force Base in California from
1983-1985.
After spending a year as a student at the Air Force
Institute of Technology (AFIT), Eileen Collins became an assistant professor in
mathematics at the U.S. Air Academy in Colorado and a T-41 instructor pilot
from 1986-1989. During this time, Collins also received a Master of Science
degree in operations research from Stanford
University in 1986, and a Master of
Arts degree in space systems management from Webster University
in 1989.
NASA
Eileen Collins was selected for NASA training in 1990 and
officially became an astronaut in 1991. She made history as the first female
space shuttle pilot in 1995 aboard STS-63, a shuttle mission which involved a
rendezvous between Discovery and the
Russian space station Mir. In
recognition of her achievement, she received the Harmon Trophy, a prize that is
described as the "American award for the most outstanding international
achievements in the arts and/or science of aeronautics for the preceding year,
with the art of flying receiving first consideration."
Additionally, Eileen Collins became the first female commander
of a U.S spacecraft in 1999 with the launch of shuttle mission STS-93. It was
this mission that deployed the Chandra X-ray observatory.
In July 2005, Collins commanded space shuttle mission STS-114
to test safety improvements to the International Space Station (ISS). During this mission, Collins became the first
astronaut to fly a space shuttle through a 360-degree pitch maneuver, which was
necessary so that astronauts aboard the ISS could photograph the belly of the
space shuttle to check for debris-related damages.
Eileen Collins retired from NASA on May 1, 2006. During her
time with the space agency, she logged over 872 hours in space. Since her
retirement, she has been a space shuttle analyst for CNN, covering launches and
landings.
Awards and Honors
Eileen Collins has received many awards throughout her
career, including:
- Defense Superior Service
Medal
- Distinguished Flying Cross
- Defense Meritorious Service Medal with one oak-leaf cluster
- Air Force Commendation Medal with one oak-leaf cluster
- Armed Forces Expeditionary Medal
- French Legion of Honor
- NASA's Outstanding Leadership Medal and Space Flight Medals
- Free Spirit Award
- National Space Trophy
- Adler Planetarium Women in Space Science Award
Collins was also inducted into the National Women's Hall of
Fame, and been named by Encyclopedia Britannica as one of the top 300 women in
history to have changed the world. Eileen Collins has also received honorary
Doctor of Science degrees from Elmira
College and the National
University of Ireland.
Resources:
http://www.jsc.nasa.gov/Bios/htmlbios/collins.html
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eileen_Collins
http://www.cityofelmira.net/history/eileen_collins.html
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