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After a history-making career as an astronaut, Eileen Collins is leaving NASA. The veteran of four spaceflights says that, while she may be staying on Earth, she plans to keep looking towards the heavens.

Image to left: Collins said that she has high hopes for the future of American space exploration. Credit: NASA

A native of Elmira, N.Y., Collins was selected as an astronaut in 1990. In 1995, on STS-63, she became the first woman to pilot the space shuttle. The STS-63 mission was the first to dock with the Russian Mir space station. She returned to Mir two years later as pilot of the STS-84 mission. In 1999, on STS-93, Collins became the first female commander of the shuttle. This mission deployed the Chandra X-Ray Observatory.

Last year, she made history again as the commander of STS-114. That mission returned the space shuttle to flight after the STS-107 Columbia accident two and a half years earlier. During the 14-day mission in July and August 2005, the shuttle Discovery tested new shuttle safety enhancements and took supplies to the International Space Station.

Collins spoke with NASA Education recently about her career and plans for the future.

In your career as an astronaut, what are you most proud of?

I would say the people that I work with, without a doubt. It's probably one of the hardest things about leaving this job. But I know I'll be coming back to work in some capacity some day, just not as an astronaut. The people are what make the job so much fun and so interesting. The dedication, the professionalism and the talent of the people that I work with motivate me to continue to do a better job.

You've said that one of the reasons you stayed after STS-93 was that you wanted to see the space station. When you got there, was it everything you'd hoped for?

Actually being there gives you a perspective that you wouldn’t otherwise have. As an astronaut and knowing that this could be an area that I could work in for the rest of my life, I thought seeing the space station was an important thing for me to do.

Visiting the station gave me a perspective on how the long-duration crewmembers live and work. A laboratory in space is very different from a laboratory on Earth, because you have to live, as well as work, in that environment. Stowage and logistics are real problems. These will be the kinds of issues we have to deal with when we go back to the moon and when we travel to Mars.

Image to left: Discovery returned the space shuttle fleet to flight on the STS-114 mission. Credit: NASA

Frankly, I would have loved to do a long-duration flight. At this point in my life, it doesn’t really fit in with my plans. Also, many younger astronauts need their chance to fly. The best opportunity for me was to do at least a short visit, though a long-duration flight would have been exciting had I had the chance to do it in my younger days.

What are your thoughts on the legacy you leave as the first female shuttle commander?

Maybe someday I'll look back, but I don't really think that way. I think about the mission. I think about getting the job done. I think about what we're going to do next. I think about keeping our space program safe. So, I don't know if I'm quite that deep and reflective.

Your immediate plans are to spend some time with your family, but what about beyond that? What does the future hold for Eileen Collins?

Well, I have an open mind. I am still very busy; I'm trying to finish several commitments from my current job, so I haven't started looking yet. I hope to start looking over the summer for something that fits my experience and that would be in an area where I could contribute.

Related Resources + Eileen Collins Astronaut Biography + Shuttle Mission STS-63 + Shuttle Mission STS-84 + Shuttle Mission STS-93 + Shuttle Mission STS-114 + Return to Flight + Space Shuttle + Space Station + The Vision for Space Exploration + Inspiring the Future

I do want to go back to work, because I am the kind of person that enjoys working. I'm what they used to call a Type-A person who likes to work and likes to keep busy. A lot of things out there in life need to be done. I'm looking forward to something exciting.

As you leave NASA, do you have any particular memento or keepsake from your spaceflight career that has special meaning to you?

I flew my wedding ring on all of my missions, and I wear it every day. So, that's something that I look at every day. My husband has been very supportive of all my spaceflights, and I'm very thankful that he's been that way. Maybe that's a small thing to say, my wedding ring, but that was the first thing to pop into my mind.

What are your hopes for NASA's future?

I would like this phase of our country's space exploration to be very successful. I would like to see the shuttle program fly successfully to the end of the decade. I would like to see the space station built and used for what it was intended for -- research in space. I would like to see a major discovery made, particularly in the medical field, because of our research in space. Of course, I would like to see people back on the moon doing research. Finally, I would like to see that the first people that travel to Mars are Americans. That's not a guarantee; I think we take that for granted.

Is there any advice, or words of wisdom, that you're leaving with the astronauts still in the corps?

The first piece of advice has to do with safety. It's very important that we continue to fly our spacecraft safely, which include the shuttle, the station and, in the future, the CEV [Crew Exploration Vehicle]. We are people who are willing to take risks. But I find that the American public doesn't tolerate us making mistakes in the space program. We need to be constantly on the lookout for what can go wrong. We need to be creative in thinking about things that can go wrong, and we always need to stay ahead of them. We need to listen to what people are telling us. Maybe our way isn't always the right way. We need to listen and keep safety number one. Mission success is right up there, but safety is number one.

Also, for those astronauts who haven't flown yet: you'll get your chance, and it's going to be great. One of the major reasons that I'm stepping aside and leaving the astronaut program is it's time to give our young people their chance to fly. We have many astronauts -- I don't know the exact number, but it's almost 50 -- that are still waiting for their first flight. That's a lot.

Image to left: The STS-114 delivered supplies to the International Space Station. Credit: NASA

I think we as a country are better off if we have more people who have been in space, even if they've only flown one mission. In fact, that first mission is a big one, because you have a very steep learning curve. I don't think our country needs people who have flown five times -- if I stuck around and flew another flight, it would be five times. I don't know if that would really add that much. I think after astronauts fly, whether it's one time, or two, or three, or four times, they need to go out and work in industry and education and other places in the government. They need to work in other areas in the space program, and take their expertise and spread it around. I think it's important that we do that. These are some of the reasons I'm stepping aside.

You've mentioned in the past that someday you'd like to visit space as a passenger so you'd actually have some free time to enjoy the experience. Is that still something you're interested in doing?

Yes, I think so. Maybe, as the years go by and I get a little bit older, I'd like to go back into space someday. It's something I certainly can't do in the short term because traveling as a passenger is still in its infancy, and it's still very expensive, and it's still very risky. I've been in space, and I don't think that the time is right for me to go back there. But at some point, maybe some decades in the future, it's something that I would definitely consider doing.

I sure hope that more people get a chance to fly in space because of the commercial development and the initiative in tourism. I sure would like to see a lot more people have the great experience of being in space.


Whatever the future may hold for Eileen Collins, she's already earned her place in the history books as an astronaut who made great contributions for NASA and for the nation.

Next week: Astronaut Eileen Collins shares advice for students and educators.

David Hitt/NASA Educational Technology Services