{"id":130212,"date":"2003-10-04T20:17:00","date_gmt":"2003-10-05T00:17:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/?migration=converted-node-391446"},"modified":"2023-07-25T14:53:30","modified_gmt":"2023-07-25T18:53:30","slug":"eileen-collins-nasas-first-female-shuttle-commander","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/missions\/space-shuttle\/sts-114\/eileen-collins-nasas-first-female-shuttle-commander\/","title":{"rendered":"Eileen Collins – NASA’s First Female Shuttle Commander"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p>On her last mission, Eileen Collins became the first (and currently only) female Shuttle commander. On her next, she will command the historic STS-114 \u201cReturn to Flight\u201d mission, the first after the Columbia tragedy.<\/p>\n\n\n<div id=\"\" class=\"hds-media hds-module wp-block-image\"><div class=\"margin-left-auto margin-right-auto nasa-block-align-inline\"><div class=\"hds-media-wrapper margin-left-auto margin-right-auto\"><figure class=\"hds-media-inner hds-cover-wrapper hds-media-ratio-cover \"><a href=\"https:\/\/images-assets.nasa.gov\/image\/S99-00858\/S99-00858~large.jpg?w=1535&h=1920&fit=clip&crop=faces%2Cfocalpoint\" rel=\"noopener\"><img fetchpriority=\"high\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1535\" height=\"1920\" src=\"https:\/\/images-assets.nasa.gov\/image\/S99-00858\/S99-00858~large.jpg?w=1535&h=1920&fit=clip&crop=faces%2Cfocalpoint\" class=\"attachment-2048x2048 size-2048x2048\" alt=\"\" style=\"transform: scale(1.2); transform-origin: 44% 13%; object-position: 44% 13%; object-fit: cover;\" block_context=\"nasa-block\" srcset=\"https:\/\/images-assets.nasa.gov\/image\/S99-00858\/S99-00858~large.jpg?w=1535&h=1920&fit=crop&crop=faces%2Cfocalpoint 1535w, https:\/\/images-assets.nasa.gov\/image\/S99-00858\/S99-00858~large.jpg?w=240&h=300&fit=crop&crop=faces%2Cfocalpoint 240w, https:\/\/images-assets.nasa.gov\/image\/S99-00858\/S99-00858~large.jpg?w=768&h=961&fit=crop&crop=faces%2Cfocalpoint 768w, https:\/\/images-assets.nasa.gov\/image\/S99-00858\/S99-00858~large.jpg?w=819&h=1024&fit=crop&crop=faces%2Cfocalpoint 819w, https:\/\/images-assets.nasa.gov\/image\/S99-00858\/S99-00858~large.jpg?w=1228&h=1536&fit=crop&crop=faces%2Cfocalpoint 1228w, https:\/\/images-assets.nasa.gov\/image\/S99-00858\/S99-00858~large.jpg?w=320&h=400&fit=crop&crop=faces%2Cfocalpoint 320w, https:\/\/images-assets.nasa.gov\/image\/S99-00858\/S99-00858~large.jpg?w=480&h=600&fit=crop&crop=faces%2Cfocalpoint 480w, https:\/\/images-assets.nasa.gov\/image\/S99-00858\/S99-00858~large.jpg?w=720&h=901&fit=crop&crop=faces%2Cfocalpoint 720w, https:\/\/images-assets.nasa.gov\/image\/S99-00858\/S99-00858~large.jpg?w=959&h=1200&fit=crop&crop=faces%2Cfocalpoint 959w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1535px) 100vw, 1535px\" loading=\"eager\" \/><\/a><\/figure><figcaption class=\"hds-caption padding-y-2\"><div class=\"hds-caption-text p-sm margin-0\">Astronaut Eileen M. Collins, commander.<\/div><\/figcaption><\/div><\/div><\/div>\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">On becoming an astronaut:<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cWhen I was very young and first started reading about astronauts, there were no women astronauts.\u201d 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. \u201cMy timing was really great,\u201d 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. \u201cI wanted to be part of our nation\u2019s space program. It\u2019s the greatest adventure on this planet-or off the planet, for that matter. I wanted to fly the Space Shuttle.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">On being the first and only female Shuttle commander:<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cHopefully not for long!\u201d While the distinction of being the first is an honor, Collins said she\u2019s looking forward to losing the part about being the \u201conly\u201d female commander. She said she hopes current astronaut Pam Melroy will soon join her, and that more will follow. \u201cI\u2019m really pulling for her.\u201d Collins said that she encourages young women to become test pilots so that they can someday become Shuttle commanders as well. \u201cThe young people are going to be the ones to take us on to more exciting adventures.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">On her advice for future astronauts:<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cMy advice to young people is, go into the field you are most interested in. If you love your job, you\u2019ll do well in your job.\u201d While coming from a mathematics, science, or technology background is a must, there\u2019s 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. \u201cI said I think I can fill a void, and I think they bought it.\u201d It\u2019s paid off, too, she said, since much of her background ties in directly to the operation of the Shuttle.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">On the most exciting thing about spaceflight:<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cIf 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.\u201d 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\u2019s been really rewarding seeing the amazing pictures that Chandra has taken. \u201cEverybody came together and made it happen.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">On her upcoming first visit to the International Space Station (ISS):<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cIt\u2019s hard to wait. I\u2019m so excited.\u201d 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. \u201cI had never gone to the Station, and I really wanted to go to there. I really wanted to be part of the Station mission.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">On the future of spaceflight:<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cI would like to see more people traveling to space someday. I would like to see space tourism blossom. It\u2019s such an incredible experience.\u201d 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. \u201cSomeday I would like to go into space as a tourist, and have the time to have fun.\u201d She\u2019s very interested in developments in the field of civilian spaceflight, such as the X Prize competition. \u201cI just think that\u2019s really exciting. That\u2019s an experience that more people ought to have. I think we\u2019d have a better community on Earth if more people traveled in space.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">On her upcoming \u201cReturn to Flight\u201d mission:<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cWe\u2019re very excited. We\u2019re very confident.\u201d While they\u2019re 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. \u201cWhen the Shuttle\u2019s ready to fly, we\u2019ll be ready to fly.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>Biographical Data<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Hometown:<\/strong> Elmira, New York<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Born:<\/strong> November 19, 1956<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Education:<\/strong> Associate\u2019s degree in mathematics\/science from Corning Community College; bachelor\u2019s degree in mathematics and economics from Syracuse University; master\u2019s degree in operations research from Stanford University; master\u2019s degree in space systems management from Webster University.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Spaceflight Experience:<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>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.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Pilot, Atlantis STS-84-This 1997 mission transferred supplies to the Mir Space Station.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>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.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>On her last mission, Eileen Collins became the first (and currently only) female Shuttle commander. On her next, she will command the historic STS-114 \u201cReturn to Flight\u201d mission, the first after the Columbia tragedy. On becoming an astronaut: \u201cWhen I was very young and first started reading about astronauts, there were no women astronauts.\u201d However, […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":9,"featured_media":278366,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"nasa_hds_core_meta_l10n":"en-US","nasa_hds_core_meta_article_editor":"","nasa_hds_core_meta_article_contacts":[],"nasa_hds_core_meta_article_topic":"","nasa_hds_core_meta_linked_locations":[],"nasa_hds_core_meta_article_related_articles":[],"hds_migrate_meta_pr_release_id":"","hds_migrate_meta_pr_release_type":"","nasa_hds_core_meta_location_x":"","nasa_hds_core_meta_location_y":"","nasa_hds_core_meta_gallery_images":[],"footnotes":""},"categories":[3020,3064,3079,3054],"news-tags":[],"internal-terms":[],"coauthors":[],"parsely":{"version":"1.1.0","meta":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@type":"NewsArticle","headline":"Eileen Collins – NASA’s First Female Shuttle Commander","url":"https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/missions\/space-shuttle\/sts-114\/eileen-collins-nasas-first-female-shuttle-commander\/","mainEntityOfPage":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/missions\/space-shuttle\/sts-114\/eileen-collins-nasas-first-female-shuttle-commander\/"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/images-assets.nasa.gov\/image\/S99-00858\/S99-00858~large.jpg?w=1535&h=1920&fit=clip&crop=faces%2Cfocalpoint","image":{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https:\/\/images-assets.nasa.gov\/image\/S99-00858\/S99-00858~large.jpg?w=1535&h=1920&fit=clip&crop=faces%2Cfocalpoint"},"articleSection":"Missions","author":[{"@type":"Person","name":"NASA"}],"creator":["NASA"],"publisher":{"@type":"Organization","name":"NASA","logo":"https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/wp-content\/themes\/nasa\/assets\/images\/nasa-logo.svg"},"keywords":["Missions","Space Shuttle","STS-93","STS-114","STS-63","STS-84"],"dateCreated":"2003-10-05T00:17:00Z","datePublished":"2003-10-05T00:17:00Z","dateModified":"2023-07-25T18:53:30Z"},"rendered":"<meta name=\"parsely-title\" content=\"Eileen Collins – NASA’s First Female Shuttle Commander\" \/>\n<meta name=\"parsely-link\" content=\"https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/missions\/space-shuttle\/sts-114\/eileen-collins-nasas-first-female-shuttle-commander\/\" \/>\n<meta name=\"parsely-type\" content=\"post\" \/>\n<meta name=\"parsely-image-url\" content=\"https:\/\/images-assets.nasa.gov\/image\/S99-00858\/S99-00858~large.jpg?w=1535&h=1920&fit=clip&crop=faces%2Cfocalpoint\" \/>\n<meta name=\"parsely-pub-date\" content=\"2003-10-05T00:17:00Z\" \/>\n<meta name=\"parsely-section\" content=\"Missions\" \/>\n<meta name=\"parsely-tags\" content=\"Missions,Space Shuttle,STS-93,STS-114,STS-63,STS-84\" \/>\n<meta name=\"parsely-author\" content=\"NASA\" \/>","tracker_url":"https:\/\/cdn.parsely.com\/keys\/nasa.gov\/p.js"},"read_time":5,"time_ago":"21 years","featured_image":{"id":278366,"file":"https:\/\/images-assets.nasa.gov\/image\/S99-00858\/S99-00858~large.jpg","title":"Official portrait of Eileen M. Collins, STS-93 commander","alt":"","caption":"S99-00858 (30 Oct 1998) --- Astronaut Eileen M. Collins, commander."},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/130212"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/9"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=130212"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/130212\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":297502,"href":"https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/130212\/revisions\/297502"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/278366"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=130212"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=130212"},{"taxonomy":"news-tags","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/news-tags?post=130212"},{"taxonomy":"internal-terms","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/internal-terms?post=130212"},{"taxonomy":"author","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/coauthors?post=130212"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}