Astronaut Eileen Collins leaves NASA (AP/CNN) {1st woman flight commander}

[eppur_se_muova]

Monday, May 1, 2006; Posted: 11:53 a.m. EDT (15:53 GMT)

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.
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more: http://www.cnn.com/2006/TECH/space/05/01/shuttle.collins.resigns.ap/index.html

This item caught my eye in part because I just recently read "The Mercury Thirteen", about the women pilots who were tested as astronaut candidates back in the early 60's, before NASA decided to drop any consideration of women candidates. It's fascinating, if frequently sad, reading. The book concludes with the women gathering to watch the launch of Collins' first flight as Commander.

[BOSSHOG]

1. My wife works for NASA

and I had the pleasure of meeting a female astronaut a few years ago (I believe her name was Barbara Morgan.) She was a fascinating, very professional individual. Our short conversation was truly an experience.