Webster Salutes Shuttle Cmdr. Eileen Collins (MA '89)

Eileen Collins

Tuesday, July 26 was a significant day for School of Business & Technology Alumna Eileen Collins (M.A. Space Systems Management, '89). That's the day Collins led the NASA space shuttle's "Return to Flight" mission as commander of the STS-114 Discovery.

Collins was the first woman to command a NASA Space Shuttle, having commanded STS-93 Discovery on a five-day mission in 1999. That mission launched the Chandra X-Ray Observatory telescope. Her 12-day mission this year will deliver supplies and science equipment to the International Space Station for future expansion, as well as explore new ways to protect future orbiters and their crews.

Collins, who invited Webster President Dr. Richard Meyers to the launch, is remembered fondly by former classmates and professors alike.

"You could tell Eileen was both focused and intensely driven to do her very best," says William Hoffman, Jr., a classmate of Eileen's at Webster and now director of Webster's Space Programs. "She has earned her place in history and grown professionally through life-long learning and a work ethic few civilians will ever realize. I am thrilled she is a Webster Space Alum and even more thrilled that she has achieved her dream."

Lisa Reed, adjunct professor of Space Bioastronautics at Webster-Colorado Springs, worked with Collins at the Johnson Space Center in Houston. "One of the things that always struck me about Eileen," Reed says, "is that she is technically very good, which you want in an astronaut. But she is also the whole package. Being an astronaut is not just flying in the shuttle, because most of an astronaut's time is spent here on earth. Eileen is a role model on how to deal with people, teams and how to be a leader."

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