President Clinton with Eileen Collins, First Woman Space Mission Commander
3/5/1998
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On July 23, 1999, Eileen Collins became the first woman to command a space shuttle mission. STS-93 was launched with the Chandra X-Ray Observatory payload. The newest space telescope since the Hubble would capture X-rays not yet seen in deep space images. The mission was a major success, capturing astonishing images and new data.
Earlier in her career, on February 3, 1995, Eileen Collins became the first woman to pilot a space shuttle, flying the Discovery to the Russian Mir space station. Its purpose was to conduct flight, communication, and astrobiology tests.
Collins’s final space flight was commanding the “Return to Flight” mission, the first since the space shuttle Columbia disaster. On July 26, 2005, the STS-114 “Return to Flight” mission launched from Kennedy Space Center. The purpose of the mission was to dock with the International Space Station and bring supplies along with new scientific experiment equipment. Collins again served as commander and hit another major milestone; she performed the first rendezvous pitch maneuver with the shuttle. The maneuver was designed to expose the underside of the shuttle and search for any structural damages to the heat shield. It requires very skilled piloting in order to keep the shuttle in view of the space station and not collide with it. Collins successfully performed the first rendezvous pitch maneuver and docked with the station flawlessly.
Earlier in her career, on February 3, 1995, Eileen Collins became the first woman to pilot a space shuttle, flying the Discovery to the Russian Mir space station. Its purpose was to conduct flight, communication, and astrobiology tests.
Collins’s final space flight was commanding the “Return to Flight” mission, the first since the space shuttle Columbia disaster. On July 26, 2005, the STS-114 “Return to Flight” mission launched from Kennedy Space Center. The purpose of the mission was to dock with the International Space Station and bring supplies along with new scientific experiment equipment. Collins again served as commander and hit another major milestone; she performed the first rendezvous pitch maneuver with the shuttle. The maneuver was designed to expose the underside of the shuttle and search for any structural damages to the heat shield. It requires very skilled piloting in order to keep the shuttle in view of the space station and not collide with it. Collins successfully performed the first rendezvous pitch maneuver and docked with the station flawlessly.
This primary source comes from the WJC-WHPO: Photographs of the White House Photograph Office (Clinton Administration),.
National Archives Identifier: 183374036
Full Citation: President Clinton shakes hands with Lieutenant Colonel Eileen M. Collins in the Roosevelt Room, having announced Colonel Collins as the first woman space mission commander; 3/5/1998; Photographs Relating to the Clinton Administration, 1/20/1993 - 1/20/2001; WJC-WHPO: Photographs of the White House Photograph Office (Clinton Administration),; William J. Clinton Library, Little Rock, AR. [Online Version, https://www.docsteach.org/documents/document/president-clinton-eileen-collins, May 2, 2024]Rights: Public Domain, Free of Known Copyright Restrictions. Learn more on our privacy and legal page.