| Collins Eileen | ||
Personal: Female, Married, two children. Born in Elmira, New York, USA. US Air Force US Air Force Astronaut Career Astronaut Group: NASA Group 13 - 1990. Inactive Entered space service: 17 January 1990. Left space service: 1 May 2006. Number of Flights: 4.00. Total Time: 36.34 days.
NASA Official Biography
Collins Eileen Spaceflight Log
Collins Eileen Chronology 17 January 1990 - NASA Astronaut Training Group 13 selected.. The group was selected to provide pilot, engineer, and scientist astronauts for space shuttle flights.. Qualifications: Pilots: Bachelor's degree in engineering, biological science, physical science or mathematics. Advanced degree desirable. At least 1,000 flight-hours of pilot-in-command time. Flight test experience desirable. Excellent health. Vision minimum 20/50 uncorrected, correctable to 20/20 vision; maximum sitting blood pressure 140/90. Height between 163 and 193 cm. Mission Specialists: Bachelor's degree in engineering, biological science, physical science or mathematics and minimum three years of related experience or an advanced degree. Vision minimum 20/150 uncorrected, correctable to 20/20. Maximum sitting blood pressure of 140/90. Height between 150 and 193 cm.. Reported to the Johnson Space Center in late July 1990 to begin their year long training. Chosen from 1945 qualified applicants, then 106 finalists screened between September and November 1989. 3 February 1995 - STS-63. Assignment: Prime Crew. Flight: STS-63, Mir EO-17, Mir LD-4. Deployed ODERACS 2A-2E; deployed and retrieved Spartan 204. Discovery rendezvoused with Russia's space station, Mir, to a distance of 11 m and performed a fly-around, but did not dock with Mir. Payloads: SPACEHAB 03, Shuttle Pointed Autonomous Research Tool for Astronomy (SPARTAN) 204, Cryo Systems Experiment (CSE)/GLO-2 Experi-ment Payload (CGP)/Orbital Debris Radar Calibration Spheres (ODERACS) 2, Solid Surface Combustion Experiment (SSCE), Air Force Maui Optical Site (AMOS), IMAX Cargo Bay Camera (ICBC) 11 February 1995 - Landing of STS-63. Assignment: Return Crew. Flight: STS-63, Mir EO-17, Mir LD-4. STS-63 landed at 11:51 GMT. 15 May 1997 - STS-84. Assignment: Prime Crew. Flight: STS-84, Mir NASA-4, Mir NASA-3, Mir EO-23. Atlantis blasted off on a night launch to Mir, docking with the station on May 17 at 02:33 GMT. Jerry Linenger, who had begun his stay on Mir in mid-January aboard STS-81, would return aboard STS-84. Michael Foale would be left at the station for his stint as the American crew member of Mir. The crew transfered to Mir 466 kg of water, 383 kg of U.S. science equipment, 1,251 kg of Russian equipment and supplies, and 178 kg of miscellaneous material. Returned to Earth aboard Atlantis were 406 kg of U.S. science material, 531 kg of Russian logistics material, 14 kg of ESA material and 171 kg of miscellaneous material. Atlantis undocked from Mir at 01:04 GMT on May 22. After passing up its first landing opportunity due to clouds over the landing site, the Shuttle fired its OMS engines on the deorbit burn at 12:33 GMT on May 24. Atlantis landed at 13:27 GMT at Kennedy Space Center's runway 33. 24 May 1997 - Landing of STS-84. Assignment: Return Crew. Flight: STS-84, Mir NASA-4, Mir NASA-3, Mir EO-23. STS-84 landed at 13:27 GMT with the crew of Precourt, Collins Eileen, Clervoy, Lu, Noriega, Kondakova and Linenger aboard. 23 July 1999 - STS-93. Assignment: Prime Crew. Flight: STS-93. STS-93 was first rolled out to pad 39B on June 7 1999. The Chandra/IUS-27 vehicle was placed in the payload canister on June 19. The first launch attempt was on July 20, but controllers aborted the launch at T-6 seconds, just before main engine ignition, due to a data spike in hydrogen pressure data. This was determined to be due to a faulty sensor and a second attempt was on July 22. A lightning storm prevented launch during the 46 minute window, and the launch was again scrubbed. Finally the vehicle lifted off the pad on July 23, but five seconds after launch a short in an electrical bus brought down two of the three main engine controllers. Backup controllers took over, but a further failure on the backup controller bus would have resulted in engine shutdown and the first ever attempt at an RTLS (Return To Launch Site) abort. To further complicate matters engine 3 (SSME 2019) had a hydrogen leak throughout the ascent, causing the engine to run hot. Controllers sweated as temperatures neared redline. The hot engine’s controller compensated as programmed by using additional liquid oxygen propellant. The final result was that the shuttle ran out of gas - main engine cut-off (MECO) was at 04:39 GMT, putting Columbia into a 78 km x 276 km x 28.5 degree transfer orbit. Columbia was 1,700 kg short of oxygen propellant and 5 meters/sec slower than planned. The OMS-2 engine burn at 05:12 GMT circularised the orbit 10 km lower than planned. The orbiter payload bay contained only the Chandra spacecraft, the IUS, and the IUS tilt tableTthe following payloads were carried in the shuttle’s cabin: STL-B (Space Tissue Loss), CCM (Cell culture module), SAREX-II (Shuttle Amateur Radio Experiment), EarthKam, PGIM (Plant Growth Investigations in Microgravity), CGBA (Commercial Generic Bioprocessing Apparatus), MEMS (Micro-electric Mechanical System), and BRIC (Biological Research in Canisters) and SWUIS (the Southwest Ultraviolet Imaging System, an 0.18-m UV telescope to be used for airglow and planetary observations); GOSAMR (the Gelation of Sols: Applied Microgravity Research experiment) and LFSAH, the Lightweight Flexible Solar Array Hinge. MSX and SIMPLEX experiments were also to be carried out. Chandra/IUS-27 was deployed from Columbia at 11:47 GMT July 23. Flight duration was limited; this was the heaviest shuttle (122,534 kg) and heaviest payload (19,736 kg) to that date. Columbia landed at 03:20 GMT on July 28 on runway 33 at Kennedy Space Center. Post-flight inspection found the presence of holes in the cooling lines on the nozzle of SSME 2019 (engine 3) which caused a hydrogen leak. A loose repair pin in the engine broke free and caused the failure. The cause of the short was found to be chaffed wiring inside the shuttle. The entire fleet was grounded for inspection and replacement of wiring as necessary. 23 July 1999 - STS-93 Mission Status Report # 02. Flight: STS-93. A little more than seven hours after Columbia and its five astronauts were launched from the Kennedy Space Center, Chandra was spring-ejected from a cradle in the shuttle's cargo bay at 6:47 a.m. Central time, as Columbia flew over the Indonesian Island chain. Commander Eileen Collins, the first female Shuttle Commander, maneuvered Columbia to a safe distance away from the telescope as an internal timer counted down to the first of a two-phase ignition of the solid-fuel Inertial Upper Stage. The IUS lit up as scheduled at 7:47 a.m., and a few minutes later, shut down as ...more... 23 July 1999 - STS-93 Mission Status Report # 01. Flight: STS-93. The Space Shuttle Columbia blasted off late Thursday night (early Friday morning, Eastern time) to carry five astronauts to orbit for the long-awaited deployment of Chandra X-Ray Observatory, which will unveil previously invisible mysteries of the universe. After two previous postponements, Commander Eileen Collins, Pilot Jeff Ashby and ...more... 23 July 1999 - STS-93 Mission Status Report # 03. Flight: STS-93. Chandra was deployed from Columbia a little more than seven hours into the flight at 6:47 a.m. CDT. Thanks to a pair of burns by its inertial upper stage (IUS), the third of NASA's four great observatories is now on its way to an elliptical orbit that will support five years of observations into the X-ray mysteries of the universe. "We were extremely confident in the IUS system in placing Chandra in it's orbit," ...more... 24 July 1999 - STS-93 Mission Status Report # 05. Flight: STS-93. Commander Eileen Collins, Pilot Jeff Ashby and Mission Specialists Cady Coleman, Steve Hawley and Michel Tognini were awakened at 5:31 p.m. CDT with the song "Brave New Girls," performed by Teresa. Hawley, the resident astronomer of the STS-93 crew, will continue his work with ...more... 24 July 1999 - STS-93 Mission Status Report # 04. Flight: STS-93. Commander Eileen Collins, Pilot Jeff Ashby and Mission Specialists Cady Coleman, Steve Hawley and Michel Tognini worked on experiments involving everything from astronomy to biomedicine to plant growth as the shuttle continued to orbit the Earth every 90 minutes in excellent shape. Hawley, the resident astronomer on board, used the Southwest Ultraviolet Imaging ...more... 25 July 1999 - STS-93 Mission Status Report # 07. Flight: STS-93. The five astronauts aboard the Space Shuttle Columbia began their fourth flight day at 4:31 p.m. CDT, preparing to make additional celestial observations through the shuttle's windows and continue work with a variety of experiments. The day started off with a wake-up call sent up in honor of Pilot Jeff Ashby. It ...more... 25 July 1999 - STS-93 Mission Status Report # 06. Flight: STS-93. Commander Eileen Collins, Pilot Jeff Ashby and Mission Specialists Cady Coleman, Steve Hawley and Michel Tognini conducted experiments ranging from astronomical observations with an ultraviolet telescope to cell culture studies. Investigations also included testing new materials which may one day be used to fabricate sturdier solar arrays. Hawley collected additional data for investigators from the Southwest Ultraviolet ...more... 26 July 1999 - STS-93 Mission Status Report # 08. Flight: STS-93. Columbia's astronauts entered the homestretch of their mission this morning, conducting additional experiments in the Shuttle's middeck area as they began preparations for their scheduled return to Earth late Tuesday night. Commander Eileen Collins, Pilot Jeff Ashby and Mission Specialists Cady Coleman, ...more... 26 July 1999 - STS-93 Mission Status Report # 09. Flight: STS-93. Columbia's crew began packing up experiments today and preparing to return to Earth tomorrow with a touchdown planned on the Kennedy Space Center's shuttle runway in Florida at 10:20 p.m. CDT. Commander Eileen Collins and Pilot Jeff Ashby checked out the shuttle's cockpit ...more... 27 July 1999 - STS-93 Mission Status Report # 11. Flight: STS-93. Columbia's astronauts made final preparations Tuesday evening to come home after a successful five-day flight. Commander Eileen Collins, Pilot Jeff Ashby and Mission Specialists Cady Coleman, Steve Hawley and Michel Tognini were awakened at 2:31 p.m. CDT Tuesday to "A Little Traveling Music" by Barry Manilow, requested by Hawley's wife Eileen, and "The Air Force Song," played for Collins and Coleman. The first major task will be the closing of Columbia's cargo bay doors at about ...more... 27 July 1999 - STS-93 Mission Status Report # 12. Flight: STS-93. Columbia's astronauts glided to a smooth landing tonight at the Kennedy Space Center, wrapping up their five-day mission to deploy the Chandra X-Ray Observatory. Commander Eileen Collins flew Columbia to a textbook touchdown at 10:20 p.m. Central ...more... 27 July 1999 - STS-93 Mission Status Report # 10. Flight: STS-93. Columbia's astronauts tested their ship's systems and packed up their gear, ready for a nighttime homecoming late tonight at the Kennedy Space Center to wrap up their five-day mission. With the Chandra X-Ray Observatory undergoing what so far has been a flawless checkout ...more... 28 July 1999 - Landing of STS-93. Assignment: Return Crew. Flight: STS-93. STS-93 landed at 03:17 GMT. 1 March 2003 - STS-114 (cancelled). Assignment: Proposed Prime Crew. Flight: STS-114A. Flight delayed after the Columbia disaster. STS-114 was to have been the seventeenth station flight (ULF1). It would have carried the Raffaello Multi-Purpose Logistics Module and carried out a crew rotation. 27 May 2005 - International Space Station Status Report #05-27. Flight: ISS EO-11, STS-114. The Expedition 11 crew entered its seventh week in space today, wrapping up a week highlighted by research, maintenance and training for photography tasks to be done during the Space Shuttle's Return to Flight mission in July. Commander Sergei Krikalev and Flight Engineer John Phillips spent several days conducting examinations of each other using an ultrasound device that provides data on the ability of crewmembers to conduct detailed medical exams in space. The experiment could have future applications for telemedicine or rural health care. Phillips also conducted work with a viscosity measurement experiment that collects ...more... 26 July 2005 - STS-114. Assignment: Prime Crew. Flight: STS-114, ISS EO-11. Return to flight after loss of Columbia. Delayed extensively as NASA attempted to fix the external tank foam-shedding problem that resulted in the loss of Columbia (first planned for September 12, 2004, the launch slipped to March; May 14, 15 and 22; July 13, 2005). Discovery safely reached orbit at a total mass of 121,485 kg, but extensive video coverage detected external tank foam shedding during ascent. Discovery docked at the Pirs module of the ISS on 28 July 28 at 11:18 GMT. Following replenishment of the station (using the Raffaello MPLM-6 module with 8240 kg of supplies), a series of spacewalks verified the integrity of the shuttle's heat shield and tested repair techniques, Discovery undocked from the ISS at 07:24 GMT on 6 August and landed safely on Runway 22 at Edwards Air Force Base at 12:11 GMT on 9 August. However the shuttle fleet was immediately grounded again while NASA attempted to find a permanent fix to the external tank foam woes. 26 July 2005 - STS-114 MCC Status Report #01. Flight: ISS EO-11, STS-114. Discovery launched into a clear Florida sky this morning, returning the Shuttle fleet to space and beginning a journey of exploration to the Moon, Mars and beyond. Discovery lifted off at 9:39 a.m. central time today following a flawless countdown. ...more... 27 July 2005 - STS-114 MCC Status Report #04. Flight: ISS EO-11, STS-114. Visitors on a Space Shuttle will arrive at the International Space Station for the first time in over two years today. The Space Shuttle Discovery is scheduled to catch up and dock to the Station at 6:18 a.m. CDT Thursday. During Discovery's approach to the Station, Commander Eileen Collins will pause ...more... 27 July 2005 - STS-114 MCC Status Report #02. Flight: ISS EO-11, STS-114. The crew aboard the Space Shuttle Discovery has awakened to its first full day in space. Today it will focus on thermal protection system inspections, preparing for docking to the International Space Station and getting spacesuits ready for three spacewalks. Commander Eileen Collins, Pilot Jim Kelly and Mission Specialists Soichi Noguchi, ...more... 27 July 2005 - STS-114 MCC Status Report #03. Flight: ISS EO-11, STS-114. Discovery crewmembers completed a camera survey of the heat shields of the leading edges of the orbiter's wings and its nose cone Wednesday. They also began preparations for Thursday's docking with the International Space Station and the mission's spacewalks. Commander Eileen Collins, Pilot Jim Kelly and Mission Specialists Soichi Noguchi, ...more... 28 July 2005 - STS-114 MCC Status Report #05. Flight: ISS EO-11, STS-114. The Space Shuttle Discovery docked with the International Space Station smoothly and right on time Thursday morning, after doing a planned back flip so Station crewmembers could photograph its thermal protection system. Discovery Commander Eileen Collins and Pilot Jim Kelly flew Discovery through the ...more... 28 July 2005 - STS-114 MCC Status Report #06. Flight: ISS EO-11, STS-114. The first full day of joint Space Shuttle and International Space Station operations will be highlighted by installation of a cargo transportation module, additional orbiter heat shield inspections and spacewalk preparations. Discovery's crew was awakened at 10:39 p.m. CDT by the song "Vertigo" by U2 played ...more... 29 July 2005 - STS-114 MCC Status Report #07. Flight: ISS EO-11, STS-114. Space Shuttle and International Space Station crewmembers installed the Raffaello Multi-Purpose Logistics Module and began unloading the pressurized cargo carrier Friday. They also carried out a survey of selected areas of Discovery's thermal protection system and continued preparations for Saturday's spacewalk. Engineering analysis continues on the imagery collected so far, but no apparently ...more... 29 July 2005 - STS-114 MCC Status Report #08. Flight: ISS EO-11, STS-114. Astronauts Soichi Noguchi and Steve Robinson will step outside for their first spacewalk, and the first of this mission, early Saturday. The six and a half hour spacewalk is scheduled to begin from Discovery's airlock at 3:44 a.m. CDT. Discovery's crew was awakened at 10:43 p.m. CDT by the Japanese song "Sanpo," sung ...more... 30 July 2005 - STS-114 MCC Status Report #10. Flight: ISS EO-11, STS-114. Transfers of additional water and supplies to the International Space Station will continue Sunday as the crew aboard Space Shuttle Discovery begins Flight Day 6. The STS-114 mission was formally extended by one day as mission managers Saturday decided to spend one more day docked to the ISS. Two additional collapsible water containers holding more than 10 gallons each are ...more... 30 July 2005 - STS-114 MCC Status Report #09. Flight: ISS EO-11, STS-114. Space Shuttle Discovery's heat protective tiles and thermal blankets have been pronounced fit for entry after engineers reviewed the imagery and other data to judge their health. Analysis remains on the reinforced carbon-carbon wing leading edges and the protruding gap fillers identified earlier. Aerodynamics experts are evaluating the effect on surface heating that the gap fillers may cause to decide whether any work is necessary to reduce their size. Mission managers today also decided to extend Discovery's mission by one day to ...more... 31 July 2005 - STS-114 MCC Status Report #11. Flight: ISS EO-11, STS-114. The transfer of equipment and supplies from Discovery to the International Space Station and preparations for Monday's planned spacewalk by Mission Specialists Soichi Noguchi and Steve Robinson were the focus of today's activities in space. Noguchi, of the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency, and Robinson, along with remaining ...more... 31 July 2005 - STS-114 MCC Status Report #12. Flight: ISS EO-11, STS-114. Now spacewalk veterans, Astronauts Soichi Noguchi and Steve Robinson will step outside for the second of three planned spacewalks today at 3:14 a.m. CDT. The sole objective of the 6 ˝-hour excursion is to replace a failed International Space Station attitude control gyroscope. The pair will have about an hour of setup time after exiting Space Shuttle Discovery's ...more... 1 August 2005 - STS-114 MCC Status Report #13. Flight: ISS EO-11, STS-114. STS-114 mission managers Monday gave the go-ahead for astronauts to remove two protruding gap fillers in Discovery's heat shield during a Wednesday space walk. Soichi Noguchi and Steve Robinson will attempt to simply pull the thin fabric fillers from between tiles in the forward area of the orbiter's underside. If the pull method is unsuccessful, the two will have tools to cut the material flush with the surface. Spacewalk experts presented a plan to mission managers in Monday's Mission Management ...more... 2 August 2005 - STS-114 MCC Status Report #15. Flight: ISS EO-11, STS-114. Space Shuttle mission managers Tuesday cleared Discovery's wing leading edge heat shield for re-entry as they methodically deal with concerns over the protruding tile gap fillers. The mission management team also discussed a "puffed out" insulating blanket outside the commander's cockpit window and has decided it poses no risk of overheating during entry. Engineers will continue to analyze whether it could pose a debris problem if it came loose during aerodynamic flight. Discovery's astronauts worked much of today on preparations for Wednesday's gap ...more... 2 August 2005 - STS-114 MCC Status Report #16. Flight: ISS EO-11, STS-114. The Space Shuttle Discovery crew begins their ninth day in space with preparations for the third spacewalk of the mission. This extravehicular activity (EVA) was a preplanned activity for the mission, but now includes a new task -- repair of two protruding gap fillers between tiles on the bottom the Shuttle. The crew began the day waking up at 10:09 p.m. CDT to "Where My Heart Will Take ...more... 3 August 2005 - STS-114 MCC Status Report #17. Flight: ISS EO-11, STS-114. Despite days of anticipation and intense planning, space-walking astronaut Steve Robinson made it look easy as he gently pulled two protruding gap fillers from between thermal protection tiles on Discovery's underside Wednesday morning. "It looks like this big patient is cured," Robinson told delighted flight controllers. ...more... 3 August 2005 - STS-114 MCC Status Report #18. Flight: ISS EO-11, STS-114. After an eventful day supporting the third spacewalk of the mission, a light duty day of transfer activities, special events and time off lies ahead for the Space Shuttle Discovery crew as they begin their tenth day in space. The seven-member Shuttle crew awoke to the well-known country song "Amarillo by ...more... 4 August 2005 - STS-114 MCC Status Report #20. Flight: ISS EO-11, STS-114. Now in their eleventh day of the mission and with three successful spacewalks behind them, the STS-114 crew of Space Shuttle Discovery is slated to begin preparations for undocking and the final day with their International Space Station counterparts. Their activities for the day include final equipment transfers, stowage and return of the robotic arm, boom and cargo container to the Shuttle payload bay. "Anchors Aweigh" was the Shuttle crew wake-up song for the day, played at 9:15 p.m. ...more... 4 August 2005 - STS-114 MCC Status Report #19. Flight: ISS EO-11, STS-114. Space Shuttle Discovery's heat shield is cleared for the return to Earth early Monday after mission managers decided today that a fourth spacewalk to deal with a puffed out thermal blanket is unnecessary. Wind tunnel tests overnight at NASA's Ames Research Center in California showed little chance of any significant debris coming from the blanket at supersonic speeds. Further engineering analysis showed any debris released from the blanket was unlikely to hit structures on Discovery. Thursday's Mission Management Team decision put to rest the work that was being ...more... 5 August 2005 - STS-114 MCC Status Report #21. Flight: ISS EO-11, STS-114. Discovery astronauts and their hosts on the International Space Station undocked the Raffaello Multi-Purpose Logistics Module from the Station's Unity Node Friday and reberthed it in the Shuttle's cargo bay. Discovery Commander Eileen Collins, Pilot Jim Kelly and Mission Specialists Soichi ...more... 6 August 2005 - STS-114 MCC Status Report #23. Flight: ISS EO-11, STS-114. Discovery is flying solo today, following its early morning departure from the International Space Station, concluding nine days of cooperative work between the two crews. Pilot Jim Kelly was at the controls as latches between the two vehicles were released ...more... 6 August 2005 - STS-114 MCC Status Report #22. Flight: ISS EO-11, STS-114. After more than a week of working together in space, the Space Shuttle Discovery and International Space Station crews bid each other farewell tonight. Following a crew farewell ceremony at 11:36 p.m. CDT, hatches between the spacecraft ...more... 6 August 2005 - STS-114 MCC Status Report #24. Flight: ISS EO-11, STS-114. Discovery's astronauts will begin turning their attention toward coming back to Earth Monday by stowing equipment and verifying operation of the orbiter's flight control surfaces and system. The crew was awakened at 7:39 p.m. CDT by "The One and Only Flower in the World" ...more... 7 August 2005 - STS-114 MCC Status Report #26. Flight: ISS EO-11, STS-114. Discovery's Return to Flight mission is scheduled to conclude with a landing at NASA's Kennedy Space Center early Monday morning. Discovery has two opportunities to land at the Kennedy Space Center on Monday. The ...more... 7 August 2005 - STS-114 MCC Status Report #25. Flight: ISS EO-11, STS-114. Discovery's crew is spending what should be its last night in space, with an early morning landing planned Monday at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida, concluding a voyage of 5.35 million miles. In preparation for tomorrow's 3:47 a.m. CDT landing, Commander Eileen Collins, Pilot ...more... 9 August 2005 - STS-114 MCC Status Report #28. Flight: ISS EO-11, STS-114. Discovery glided to a pre-dawn landing at Edwards Air Force Base in California this morning concluding a journey of 5.8 million miles, touching down at 7:11 a.m. CDT. The landing marked the sixth night landing at Edwards Air Force Base, and the 50th ...more... Bibliography and Further Reading
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