Summary: Eileen Collins, Former NASA Astronaut and Retired Air Force Colonel, is currently Chairman of the Space Operations Committee of the NASA Advisory Council. Collins was formerly Space Shuttle Commander and Pilot for four spaceflights, and she has held positions as Astronaut Safety Officer, Spacecraft Systems Branch Chief, CAPCOM, and Kennedy Space Center Launch Support Person. Collins was selected by NASA in January 1990 and became an astronaut in July 1991. A veteran of four space flights, Collins’ career at NASA has been punctuated by fi rsts. She was the first woman selected as a pilot astronaut, the first woman to serve as a shuttle pilot and the first woman to command a U.S. spacecraft. Collins 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 2005, Collins commanded STS-114, NASA’s “return to flight” mission to test safety improvements and resupply the International Space Station (ISS) and became the first astronaut to fly the space shuttle through a complete 360-degree pitch maneuver. Collins received a Bachelor of Arts in Mathematics and Economics from Syracuse University; Master of Science in Operations Research from Stanford University; and a Master of Arts in Space Systems Management from Webster University. Among Collins special honors include the following: Defense Superior Service Medal, Distinguished Flying Cross, Defense Meritorious Service Medal, Air Force Meritorious Service Medal with one oak leaf cluster, Air Force Commendation Medal with one oak leaf cluster, Armed Forces Expeditionary Medal for service in Grenada (Operation Urgent Fury, October 1983), French Legion of Honor, NASA Outstanding Leadership Medal, NASA Space Flight Medals, Free Spirit Award, and the National Space Trophy. Eileen Collins has a Space Observatory named in her honor- The Eileen Collins Observatory and she is an inductee of the National Women’s Hall Of Fame. She has been recognized by Encyclopedia Britannica as one of the top 300 women in history who have changed the world.
