Mission Commander
On her last space mission, Eileen Collins became the first (and currently only) female Space Shuttle commander. On her next, she will command the historic STS-114 "Return to Flight" mission, the first after the Columbia tragedy.
Collins grew up with two brothers, a sister and "two very supportive parents." Her parents, Jim and Rose Collins describe her as "a very ordinary person, a down-to-earth individual. She's very thoughtful. Nobody handed her anything. Everything she is today, she's earned."
Collins was an avid reader in high school. Stories of women pilots and early astronauts sparked her imagination.
"I began reading voraciously about famous pilots - from Amelia Earhart to Women Air Force Service Pilots who played an important role in World War II. Their stores inspired me. I admired the courage of these women to go and fly into dangerous situations."
By 1977 Collins had saved enough money to earn a pilot's license and the following year graduated from Syracuse University. With good grades, flying experience and a letter of recommendation from her ROTC supervisor, she became one of the first women to go straight from college into Air Force pilot training.
"That was by far the biggest break of my life, getting into pilot training," Collins said. She then set her goals on becoming an astronaut. She was accepted into NASA's astronaut program while attending test pilot school at Edwards Air Force Base in California. She became and astronaut in 1991 and made her first trip into space in February 1995.
Collins has logged more than 537 hours in space. Her missions:
- Pilot, Discovery STS-63--Collins became the first female Shuttle pilot during this 1995 mission, which included a rendezvous with the Russian Space Station Mir.
- Pilot, Atlantis STS-84--This 1997 mission transferred supplies to the Mir Space Station.
- Commander, Columbia STS-93--Collins became the first female Shuttle commander on this 1999 mission, which included the deployment of the Chandra X-Ray Observatory.
Collins holds the rank of Colonel in the U.S. Air Force. She is also a wife and mother. She met her husband, Pat, while they were flying U.S. Air Force C-141s together. They were married in U.S. Air Force Academy's chapel. When she's not busy preparing for a space mission, she enjoys running, golf, hiking, camping, reading, photography and astronomy.
In October 2003, she shared these thoughts on her career and on leading NASA's first shuttle mission since the Columbia tragedy:
On becoming an astronaut:
"When I was very young and first started reading about astronauts, there were no women astronauts." However, she was inspired while she was a child by the Mercury astronauts, and by the time she was in high school and college, new opportunities were opening up for women in aviation. "My timing was really great," she said. Collins joined the Air Force, and during her first month of training, her base was visited by the newest astronaut class--the first to include women--and her path was set. "I wanted to be part of our nation's space program. It's the greatest adventure on this planet--or off the planet, for that matter. I wanted to fly the Space Shuttle."
On being the first and only female Shuttle commander:
"Hopefully not for long!" While the distinction of being the first is an honor, Collins said she's looking forward to losing the part about being the "only" female commander. She said she hopes current astronaut Pam Melroy will soon join her, and that more will follow. "I'm really pulling for her." Collins said that she encourages young women to become test pilots so that they can someday become Shuttle commanders as well. "The young people are going to be the ones to take us on to more exciting adventures."
Advice for future astronauts:
"My advice to young people is, go into the field you are most interested in. If you love your job, you'll do well in your job." While coming from a mathematics, science, or technology background is a must, there's a lot of variety in what exactly you can pursue. In fact, Collins discourages people from looking at what other astronauts are in and choosing that. The exact opposite worked for her--when she joined the corps, there were no astronauts in her field, operations research. "I said I think I can fill a void, and I think they bought it." It's paid off, too, she said, since much of her background ties in directly to the operation of the Shuttle.
On the most exciting thing about spaceflight:
"If you had asked me this question after my first mission, I would have said the launch. Now, I would say seeing the successful completion of the mission." As an example, she cited the first mission she commanded, STS-93, on which the Chandra X-Ray Observatory was deployed. There were so many people involved in the Chandra project and the launch, she said, and it's been really rewarding seeing the amazing pictures that Chandra has taken. "Everybody came together and made it happen."
On her upcoming first visit to the International Space Station (ISS):
"It's hard to wait. I'm so excited." In fact, she said, the opportunity to visit the ISS is why she decided to keep flying at a point in her career when many astronauts retire from spaceflight. "I had never gone to the Station, and I really wanted to go to there. I really wanted to be part of the Station mission."
On the future of spaceflight:
"I would like to see more people traveling to space someday. I would like to see space tourism blossom. It's such an incredible experience." Collins said that during her spaceflights, there is so much she has to do that there is little time to just enjoy being in space. "Someday I would like to go into space as a tourist, and have the time to have fun." She's very interested in developments in the field of civilian spaceflight, such as the X Prize competition. "I just think that's really exciting. That's an experience that more people ought to have. I think we'd have a better community on Earth if more people traveled in space."
On her upcoming "Return to Flight" mission:
"We're very excited. We're very confident." While they're waiting for their next flight, Collins said, her crew has been involved in research on making the Space Shuttle more safe, and has been visiting the factories involved in the Space Shuttle program and meeting the workers. "When the Shuttle's ready to fly, we'll be ready to fly."
More about Eileen Collins:
Collins' Official Astronaut Biography
Space Shuttle Homepage
STS-114 Image Gallery
Meet More Women in Science
