The
STS-93 crew poses with a model of the Chandra X-Ray Observatory. This
shuttle mission also entered into the history books for having the first
female commander (Eileen Collins, here joined by Steven Hawley, Jerry
Ashby, Michel Tognini, and Cady Coleman). Photo Credit: NASA
On July 23, 1999, decades after this intrepid group of women dared to even dream of space, a woman was finally “driving the bus”: An Air Force flyer, Eileen Collins, became the first woman to command a space shuttle on STS-93 (Columbia). Today marks 15 years since that pioneering milestone in spaceflight history.
While many women had flown into space (physicist Sally Ride had become the first U.S. woman in space 16 years earlier on STS-7 in 1983), a woman had never commanded a shuttle mission. Members of the Mercury 13 were present at Collins’ launch, thrilled to see their goal finally come to fruition. In the chapter, it details the breathless excitement these women felt: “And back at Cape Canaveral, Eileen Collins was sitting in the left seat – the driver’s seat – of the space shuttle Columbia. She was the commander. She was about to fly that shuttle … The eyes of the world were on her – the first woman ever to command a space shuttle.”
STS-93’s
crew in orbit. Clockwise from top: Steven Hawley, Jerry Ashby, Cady
Coleman, Michel Tognini, and Commander Collins. Photo Credit: NASA
On this day in July 1999, the world finally saw a “woman at the wheel,” but Collins’ first journey into space as a shuttle commander was not without its own struggles. In the 2000 book Disasters and Accidents in Spaceflight, written by David Shayler, the gripping launch was recounted: “Just five seconds after lift-off a voltage drop was recorded in one of the vehicle’s electrical circuits. This resulted in the shut down of one of two redundant main engine controllers – one that served two of the three main engines … Then, nearing the peak of the ascent, the MECO command occurred seconds before it was programmed, due to lack of fuel being fed to the engines.” These issues were later traced to faulty wiring and a hydrogen leak.
Despite being left seven miles lower than its planned orbit, Collins successfully maneuvered Columbia into its desired orbit using its Orbital Maneuvering System. However, Shayler’s wrote, “It was not until the results of the investigation were released that the seriousness of the situation became evident and it was appreciated how close Collins had come to being forced to attempt the first, very risky Return to Launch Site (RTLS) abort.”
In
2007, Expedition 16 Commander Peggy Whitson joined STS-120 Commander
Pam Melroy in space; it was the first time two women mission commanders
were in space at the same time. Photo Credit: NASA
While Collins retired from NASA in 2006, resonances were still felt in spaceflight thanks to her pioneering STS-93 flight. In 2007, astronaut Pam Melroy became the second woman to command a shuttle on STS-120 (Discovery). During that mission, Discovery docked with the ISS, which at the time housed Expedition 16’s crew, commanded by astronaut Peggy Whitson (who was the first female to lead an ISS increment). This occasion would mark the first time two female commanders of missions were in space together.
Thanks to pioneers such as Melroy, Whitson, and Collins (also, Sally Ride, who passed away two years ago today), young girls and women can freely dream of a career in space.