Eileen Collins (astronaut)
Eileen Collins is a retired American astronaut known for her groundbreaking achievements in space exploration. Born on November 19, 1956, in Elmira, New York, Collins developed a passion for aviation early in life, despite financial constraints that made flight training challenging. She pursued higher education, earning degrees in mathematics and operations research, and joined the Air Force, where she became one of the first women to complete pilot training. Collins made history in 1995 as the first woman to pilot a space shuttle during the STS-63 mission, and later became the first female commander of a shuttle during STS-93 in 1999.
Throughout her NASA career, she participated in several significant missions, including visiting the Russian Space Station Mir and launching the Chandra X-Ray Observatory. Following the tragic Columbia disaster in 2003, Collins contributed to improving NASA's safety protocols. She retired from NASA in 2006 after spending over 872 hours in space and has continued to inspire others by speaking at various events. Honored with multiple awards, including induction into the National Aviation Hall of Fame and the US Astronaut Hall of Fame, Collins remains a prominent figure in the history of space exploration and a role model for aspiring astronauts, particularly women.
Eileen Collins (astronaut)
Astronaut
- Born: November 19, 1956
- Place of Birth: Elmira, New York
- Education: Elmira Free Academy, Corning Community College, Syracuse University, Stanford University, Webster University
- Significance: Eileen Collins is a retired American astronaut. She was the first woman to pilot and serve as the commander of a space shuttle.
Background
Eileen Marie Collins was born on November 19, 1956, in Elmira, New York. Collins became enamored with airplanes at a young age, often stopping to stare at them when they flew overhead. She frequently visited the nearby National Soaring Museum, an aviation showplace. As she grew, she dreamed of learning to fly a plane, but her family did not have enough money to pay for lessons.
Collins once read a magazine article that gave a list of the pros and cons of spending money on space programs. Collins was angry that the article included any cons at all because she considered space exploration important. She dreamed of becoming an astronaut one day but was unsure if she would realize this dream because she was a woman.
Collins graduated high school from Elmira Free Academy in 1974. She then attended Corning Community College, where she received an associate's degree in mathematics/science in 1976. Two years later, she obtained a bachelor's degree in mathematics and economics from Syracuse University.
About this time, National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) began accepting women into its shuttle program. Collins was excited about this opportunity but knew she did not yet have enough training to get into NASA. Collins instead joined the Air Force Reserve Officer Training Corps (ROTC) and became a licensed pilot.
Collins became one of the first women to complete air force undergraduate pilot training at Vance Air Force Base in Enid, Oklahoma, in 1979. She stayed at the base to work as a T-38 instructor pilot for the next few years. In 1983, Collins began work as a C-141 aircraft commander and instructor pilot at Travis Air Force Base in Solano County, California. While in California, she attended Stanford University and earned a master's degree in operations research in 1986.
Later in 1986, Collins began a three-year position as an assistant math professor and a T-41 instructor pilot at the US Air Force Academy in Colorado. While in this capacity, she pursued a master's degree in space systems management from the online institution Webster University. In 1990, she graduated from the US Air Force Test Pilot School at Edwards Air Force Base in California.
Life's Work
In 1990, NASA selected Collins to its astronaut program. She spent the next year training at the Johnson Space Center in Houston, Texas, and officially became an astronaut in 1991. She held several positions during her first few years with NASA. She worked in engineering on the space shuttle orbiters. As part of the Kennedy Space Center team in Florida, she was involved in space shuttle launches. She also worked at the mission control center as a communicator.
In 1995, Collins became the first woman to pilot a space shuttle. Space Transportation System (STS)-63, which was in space from February 3 to 11, 1995, marked the first joint flight of the Russian-American Space Program. During the mission aboard Discovery, crew members visited the Russian Space Station Mir, completed a spacewalk, and launched and retrieved a satellite.
Collins piloted her second flight into space aboard Atlantis from May 15 to 24, 1997. On the STS-84, crew members again visited Mir and conducted several experiments. They also transferred supplies and equipment between Atlantis and Mir.
Two years later, Collins made history again when she became the first female commander of a space shuttle. She served as commander of Columbia during the STS-93 from July 23 to 27, 1999. During the mission, crew members launched the Chandra X-Ray Observatory. The telescope helped NASA learn more about deep space and study exploding stars, quasars, and black holes.
On a different mission in 2003, Columbia exploded as it re-entered the atmosphere and readied to land. All seven crew members aboard the shuttle died. Collins and other astronauts then spent the next few years researching safety operations for NASA. They tested these new procedures during STS-114 aboard Discovery from July 26 to August 9, 2005. Collins again served as commander of the shuttle, which docked at the International Space Station to complete the safety tests.
After the mission, Collins decided that it would be her last. She wanted to give other astronauts the opportunity to travel into space before the end of the US space program in 2011. She spent more than 872 hours in space and retired from NASA in 2006.
Collins continued to speak at various schools and events after her retirement. In July 2016, she spoke at the Republican National Convention. During her speech, she lamented the end of the space shuttle program and urged government officials to think about restarting it.
Impact
Collins made history a few times during her life. She achieved her dream of becoming an astronaut, despite the lack of female astronaut role models. She was part of the first Air Force undergraduate pilot training class to include women at Vance Air Force Base. She then became the first woman T-38 instructor pilot.
As an astronaut with NASA, Collins again made history when she became the first woman space shuttle pilot and commander. She received various awards throughout her career, including the Harmon Trophy in 1995 and the Free Spirit Award in 2006. Collins was inducted into the National Aviation Hall of Fame in 2009 and the US Astronaut Hall of Fame in 2013. In 2020, she received the Harmon Trophy, and, in 2022, she was honored with the Wright Brothers Memorial Trophy.
Personal Life
Collins married pilot Pat Youngs in 1987. The couple later had two children. Collins retired from NASA to spend more time with her family and pursue other interests.
Bibliography
Brady, James. "In Step with...Eileen Collins." Parade, 12 Mar. 2006, web.archive.org/web/20061017185740/http://www.parade.com/articles/editions/2006/edition‗03-12-2006/Brady. Accessed 8 Oct. 2024.
Campbell, Jon. "Collins Urges Revived Space Program in Convention Speech." USA Today, 20 July 2016, www.usatoday.com/story/news/politics/2016/07/20/elmira-eileen-collins-rnc/87340154. Accessed 8 Oct. 2024.
"Collins, Eileen Marie." National Aviation Hall of Fame. www.nationalaviation.org/our-enshrinees/collins-marie. Accessed 8 Oct. 2024.
"Eileen Collins – NASA's First Female Shuttle Commander." NASA, 4 Oct. 2003, www.nasa.gov/news/highlights/Eileen‗Collins.html. Accessed 8 Oct. 2024.
"Eileen Marie Collins (Colonel, USAF, Ret.)." NASA, May 2006, www.jsc.nasa.gov/Bios/htmlbios/collins.html. Accessed 8 Oct. 2024.
Evans, Ben. "How Eileen Collins Burst Through the Glass Ceiling Aboard the Space Shuttle." Astronomy, 23 July 2024, www.astronomy.com/space-exploration/eileen-collins-burst-through-the-glass-ceiling-aboard-the-space-shuttle/. Accessed 8 Oct. 2024.
Malik, Tariq. "NASA's First Female Shuttle Commander Retires from Spaceflight." Space.com, 1 May 2006, www.space.com/2360-nasa-female-shuttle-commander-retires-spaceflight.html. Accessed 8 Oct. 2024.