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May 1, 2006
Astronaut Eileen Collins leaves NASA
CAPE CANAVERAL, Florida (AP) -- Eileen Collins, the first woman to command a space shuttle who also led last year's harrowing return to flight after the Columbia disaster, said Monday she will leave the space agency.Collins, 49, said she wanted to spend more time with her family and pursue other interests.
Named an astronaut in 1990, she became the first female pilot on a space shuttle with the flight of Discovery in 1995, the first to rendezvous with the Russian space station Mir.
She also flew on Atlantis in 1997 and became first female commander in the 1999 Columbia flight.
That mission deployed the Chandra X-ray Observatory.
"Eileen is a living, breathing example of the best our nation has to offer," NASA Administrator Michael Griffin said in a statement.
"She is, of course, a brave superb pilot and a magnificent crew commander."
I hope she goes on to do more great things. Her accomplishments were amazing for a woman, as we are still pushed to the background in this country. I'm glad that she was able to break through so many barriers in a male dominated field. Congrats Ms. Collins!
Found via CNN News.
Posted by Dianne at May 1, 2006 5:56 PM
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