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ZL2VAL > SAREX 09.10.03 17:30l 137 Lines 5802 Bytes #999 (0) @ WW
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Eileen Collins -- NASA's First Female Shuttle Commander to Lead Next
Shuttle Mission
10.04.03
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 "Return to Flight" mission, the first after the
Columbia tragedy.
On becoming an astronaut: Shuttle Commander Eileen Collins
"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."
On her 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."
Biographical Data
Hometown: Elmira, New York
Born: November 19, 1956
Education: Associate's degree in mathematics/science from Corning
Community College; bachelor's degree in mathematics and economics from
Syracuse University; master's degree in operations research from
Stanford University; master's degree in space systems management from
Webster University.
Spaceflight Experience:
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.
Courtesy: NASAexplores
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73 de Alan
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Brain Cramps
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"I've never had major knee surgery on any other part of my body,"
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