Eileen Collins' Remarkable Path to Becoming the First Female Commander of NASA's Space Shuttle
In July 2005, NASA's Space Shuttle Discovery embarked on a historic mission, marking a significant milestone in space exploration. This mission, known as NASA's "Return to Flight" mission, was a momentous occasion, occurring a year after the Space Shuttle Columbia disaster.
The commander of this mission was Eileen Collins, who made history as the first American woman to pilot and command NASA's Space Shuttle. Born and raised in Elmira, New York, Collins harboured dreams of becoming a pilot from a young age. She joined the U.S. Air Force in 1978, three years after women were allowed to train as pilots.
NASA spent years researching and implementing safety upgrades for the Space Shuttle Discovery following the Columbia disaster. Collins' exceptional skill was needed to execute the first-of-a-kind maneuver, as control systems on the Space Shuttle were mostly manual at the time. One such maneuver involved a 360-degree flip on Discovery to expose its belly to astronauts on the International Space Station for photographing its protective thermal tiles.
The Space Shuttle Discovery launched on July 25, 2005, after being initially scheduled for January 1999. However, the mission was not without its challenges. Debris struck Discovery during its launch, and pieces of foam broke off the external tank of the space shuttle. The images revealed two areas where gap fillers were protruding from the shuttle, causing concern.
Three spacewalks were carried out to extract the fillers, and Discovery was cleared to return to Earth a day later. The Space Shuttle Discovery landed on August 20, 2005, bypassing an original landing date of August 8, 2005.
Collins' journey to space was not her first encounter with NASA. In 1998, she commanded the Space Shuttle mission to deploy the Chandra X-Ray Observatory, making her the first woman to command the reusable spacecraft.
The documentary film "Spacewoman", directed by Tonya Lewis Lee, is based partly on Collins' autobiography, Through the Glass Ceiling to the Stars. Initially, Collins declined the idea of a documentary about her life. However, the film provides insights into her life, her dreams, and her contributions to space exploration.
Collins' daughter was seven years old during the mission that took place five weeks after the Columbia tragedy. The documentary highlights the emotional impact the event had on Collins and her family. Despite the challenges, Collins misses the feeling of weightlessness in space and expressed a desire to fly to space again.
Collins' historic achievements in space have been followed by another trailblazer. Sally Ride became the first American woman to go to space in 1983. Collins' legacy continues to inspire a new generation of women in STEM fields, demonstrating that dreams can indeed take flight.
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