Eileen M. Collins
Military
Eileen M. Collins is a retired U.S. Air Force Colonel and former NASA astronaut, renowned as the first woman to pilot and command a Space Shuttle.
She retired from the Air Force in 2005 and NASA in 2006, concluding a distinguished 28-year career.
Collins earned degrees from Corning Community College, Syracuse University, Stanford University, and Webster University.
She became a USAF pilot in 1979, serving as an instructor and aircraft commander before joining NASA in 1991.
She piloted the Space Shuttle Discovery in 1995 and Atlantis in 1997.
In 1999, she became the first woman to command a U.S. spacecraft aboard Columbia, deploying the Chandra X-Ray Observatory.
Her final mission, in 2005, was as commander of Discovery on the “Return to Flight” mission following the Columbia tragedy.
Collins has logged over 6,700 flight hours in 30 aircraft and 872 hours in space.
Today, she serves on advisory boards, works as an aerospace consultant, and is a professional speaker.
She is active in several aviation and space organizations and lives with her husband and two children.
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