
Through the Glass Ceiling to the Stars
The Story of the First American Woman to Command a Space Mission
- 296 pages
- English
- ePUB (mobile friendly)
- Available on iOS & Android
Through the Glass Ceiling to the Stars
The Story of the First American Woman to Command a Space Mission
About this book
The long-awaited memoir of a trailblazer androle modelwho is telling her story for the first time.
Eileen Collins was an aviation pioneer her entire career, from her crowning achievements asthe first woman tocommand an American space mission as well as thefirst to pilot the space shuttle to her early years as one of the Air Force's first female pilots. She was in the first class of women to earn pilot's wings at Vance Air Force Base and was their first female instructor pilot. She was only the second woman pilot admitted to the Air Force's elite Test Pilot Program at Edwards Air Force Base. NASA had such confidence in her skills as a leader and pilot that she was entrusted to command the first shuttle mission after the Columbia disaster, returning the US to spaceflight after a two-year hiatus. Since retiring from the Air Force and NASA, she has served on numerous corporate boards and is an inspirational speaker about space exploration and leadership. Eileen Collins is among the most recognized and admired women in the world, yet this is the first time she has told her story in a book.It is a story not only of achievement and overcoming obstacles but of profound personal transformation. The shy, quiet child of an alcoholic father and struggling single mother, who grew up in modest circumstances and was an unremarkable student, she had few prospects when she graduated from high school, but she changed her life to pursue her secret dream of becoming an astronaut. She shares her leadership and life lessons throughout the book with the aim of inspiring and passing on her legacy to a new generation.
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Information
Table of contents
- Front Cover
- Half-Title Page
- Title Page
- Copyright Page
- Dedication
- Contents
- Prologue: Leaving Earth for the First Time
- Chapter 1: Elmira
- Chapter 2: College and First Flight
- Chapter 3: Pilot Training
- Chapter 4: Strength and Humility: Training Pilots
- Chapter 5: Be Careful What You Ask For: Operational Pilot
- Chapter 6: Air Force Academy
- Chapter 7: Test Pilot School
- Chapter 8: A Dream Come True
- Chapter 9: Becoming an Astronaut
- Chapter 10: First Woman Space Shuttle Pilot: STS-63
- Chapter 11: On Board Mir: STS-84
- Chapter 12: First Woman to Command a Space Mission: STS-93
- Chapter 13: The Columbia Tragedy
- Chapter 14: Return to Flight: STS-114
- Afterword: On Mission
- Acknowledgments
- About the Authors
- Index
- Photo Insert