Twenty-five years ago, Eileen Collins’ command of STS-93 broke down barriers in human spaceflight, leading to other opportunities for women astronauts.
Astronauts Eileen M. Collins , mission commander and Jeffrey S. Ashby, pilot, peruse checklists on Columbia's middeck during the STS-93 mission.At the end of February 1998, Johnson Space Center Deputy Director James D. Wetherbee called Astronaut Eileen Collins to his office in Building 1. He told her she had been assigned to commandand went with her to speak with Center Director George W.S. Abbey who informed her that she would be going to the White House the following week.
Selecting a female commander to fly in space was a monumental decision, something the space agency recognized when they alerted the president of the United States. First Lady Hillary Clinton wanted to publicly announce the flight to the American people along with her husband President William J. Clinton and NASA Administrator Daniel S. Goldin.
President William Jefferson Clinton and First Lady Hillary Rodham Clinton with Eileen Collins in the Oval Office.At that event, on March 5, 1998, the First Lady noted what a change it would be to have a female in the commander’s seat. Referencing Neil A. Armstrong’s first words on the Moon, Clinton proclaimed, “Collins will take one big step forward for women and one giant leap for humanity.
Eileen Collins’ assignment as the first female shuttle commander was front page news in the March 13, 1998 issue of Johnson Space Center’s Space News Roundup.The same year Hillary Clinton inquired about the astronaut corps, a special subcommittee of the U.S. House of Representatives Committee on Science and Astronautics held hearings on the issue of sexual discrimination in the selection of astronauts., who had flown that February in 1962, justified women’s exclusion from the corps.
Astronaut Eileen M. Collins looks over a checklist at the commander’s station on the forward flight deck of the space shuttle Columbia on July 23, 1999, the first day of the mission. The most important event of this day was the deployment of the Chandra X-Ray Observatory.By 1998, views about women’s roles had changed substantially, as demonstrated by the naming of the first female shuttle commander.
Former Astronauts NASA History STS-93 Women At NASA Women's History Month
United States Latest News, United States Headlines
Similar News:You can also read news stories similar to this one that we have collected from other news sources.
George Hocker broke through barriers as one of the CIA’s first Black spymastersEarlier this month, the Central Intelligence Agency unveiled a statue of Underground Railroad hero Harriet Tubman at its Virginia headquarters. She joins three other sculptures at agency headquarters – all of them white men.
Read more »
Taylor Swift just broke a Billboard chart record held by Whitney Houston for 37 yearsTaylor Swift's 'The Tortured Poet's Department' has seen steady success since its release, and it just recently secured a record.
Read more »
Harris could become the first female president after years of breaking racial and gender barriersHarris' steady performance after Biden's debate debacle solidified her standing among Democrats in recent weeks.
Read more »
Anchorage man tried to sexually assault woman when her car broke down, charges sayTimothy Bogus-Erwin, 35, was also accused of groping two other women and exposing himself on Tuesday in West Anchorage neighborhoods, according to a criminal complaint.
Read more »
Go Woke, Go Broke: Nike Shares Crash 19% As Customers Swoosh Away To CompetitorsSource of breaking news and analysis, insightful commentary and original reporting, curated and written specifically for the new generation of independent and conservative thinkers.
Read more »
How TikToker Reece Feldman Broke His NDA to Revolutionize Hollywood StudiosCreator Reece Feldman says he's passionate about making film online accessible and exciting for audiences.
Read more »