Eileen Collins

Eileen Marie Collins is a retired NASA astronaut and a retired United States Air Force colonel. A former military instructor and test pilot, Collins was the first female pilot and first female commander of a Space Shuttle. She was awarded several medals for her work. Colonel Collins has loggeddayshours andminutes in outer space. Collins retired on May 1, 2006, to pursue private interests, including service as a board member of USAA.

Collins was born in Elmira, New York. Her parents were James E. and Rose Marie Collins, immigrants from County Cork, Ireland. She has three siblings. As a child, she participated in Girl Scouts, and expressed an interest both in space flight and in being a pilot.

Source: Wikipedia