page_title: Eileen Collins
section_title: Astronaut
hierarchical_section_title: Eileen Collins / Astronaut
caption_attribution_description: English: Astronaut Eileen M. Collins, mission commander, looks over a procedures checklist at the commander's station on the forward flight deck of the Space Shuttle Columbia on Flight Day 1. The most important event of this day was the deployment of the Chandra X-Ray Observatory, the world's most powerful X-Ray telescope. The photo was recorded with an electronic still camera (ESC). S93-E-5033.
context_page_description: Eileen Marie Collins is a retired NASA astronaut and United States Air Force colonel. A former military instructor and test pilot, Collins was the first female pilot and first female commander of a Space Shuttle. She was awarded several medals for her work. Colonel Collins has logged 38 days 8 hours and 20 minutes in outer space. Collins retired on May 1, 2006, to pursue private interests, including service as a board member of USAA.
context_section_description: Collins was selected to be an astronaut in 1990 and first flew the Space Shuttle as pilot in 1995 aboard STS-63, which involved a rendezvous between Discovery and the Russian space station Mir.  In recognition of her achievement as the first female Shuttle Pilot, she received the Harmon Trophy. She was also the pilot for STS-84 in 1997.
  Collins was also the first female commander of a U.S. Spacecraft with Shuttle mission STS-93, launched in July 1999, which deployed the Chandra X-Ray Observatory.
  Collins commanded STS-114, NASA's "return to flight" mission to test safety improvements and resupply the International Space Station (ISS). The flight was launched on July 26, 2005, and returned on August 9, 2005. During STS-114, Collins became the first astronaut to fly the Space Shuttle through a complete 360-degree pitch maneuver. This was necessary so astronauts aboard the ISS could take photographs of the Shuttle's belly, to ensure there was no threat from debris-related damage to the Shuttle upon reentry.
  On May 1, 2006, Collins announced that she would leave NASA to spend more time with her family and pursue other interests. Since her retirement from NASA, she has made occasional public appearances as an analyst covering Shuttle launches and landings for CNN.
caption: Collins at the commander's station on Columbia during Day 1 of STS-93
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