
PERSONAL
DATA: Born November 19, 1956, in Elmira, New York. Married
to Pat Youngs, originally from San Antonio, Texas. They have one child.
She enjoys running, golf, hiking, camping, reading, photography, astronomy.
Her parents are James and Rose Marie Collins, from Elmira, New York.
His parents are Pat and Jackie Youngs, from San Antonio, Texas.
EDUCATION:
Graduated from Elmira Free Academy, Elmira, New York, in 1974; received
an associate in science degree in mathematics/science from Corning Community
College in 1976; a bachelor of arts degree in mathematics and economics
from Syracuse University in 1978; a master of science degree in operations
research from Stanford University in 1986; and a master of arts degree
in space systems management from Webster University in 1989.
ORGANIZATIONS:
Member of the Air Force Association, Order of Daedalians, Women Military
Aviators, U.S. Space Foundation, the American Institute of Aeronautics
and Astronautics, and the Ninety-Nines.
SPECIAL
HONORS: Awarded the
Defense Superior Service Medal, the Air Force Meritorious Service Medal
with one oak leaf cluster, the Air Force Commendation Medal with one
oak leaf cluster, the Armed Forces Expeditionary Medal for service in
Grenada (Operation Urgent Fury, October 1983), and the NASA Space Flight
Medal.
EXPERIENCE:
Collins graduated in 1979 from Air Force Undergraduate Pilot Training
at Vance AFB, Oklahoma, where she was a T-38 instructor pilot until
1982. From 1983 to 1985, she was a C-141 aircraft commander and instructor
pilot at Travis AFB, California. She spent the following year as a student
with the Air Force Institute of Technology. From 1986 to 1989, she was
assigned to the U.S. Air Force Academy in Colorado, where she was an
assistant professor in mathematics and a T-41 instructor pilot. She
was selected for the astronaut program while attending the Air Force
Test Pilot School at Edwards AFB, California, from which she graduated
in 1990. She has logged over 5,000 hours in 30 different types of aircraft.
NASA
EXPERIENCE:
Selected by NASA in January 1990, Collins became an astronaut in July
1991. Initially assigned to Orbiter engineering support, she has also
served on the astronaut support team responsible for Orbiter prelaunch
checkout, final launch configuration, crew ingress/egress, landing/recovery,
worked in Mission Control as a spacecraft communicator (CAPCOM) for
numerous shuttle missions, and served as the Astronaut Office Spacecraft
Systems Branch Chief. A veteran of three space flights, Collins has
logged over 537 hours in space. She served as pilot on STS-63 (February
2-11, 1995) and STS-84 (May 15-24, 1997), and was the first woman Shuttle
commander on STS-93 (July 22-27, 1999).
SPACE
FLIGHT EXPERIENCE: STS-63 (February 2-11, 1995) was
the first flight of the new joint Russian-American Space Program. Mission
highlights included the rendezvous with the Russian Space Station Mir,
operation of Spacehab, the deployment and retrieval of an astronomy
satellite, and a space walk. Collins' first mission was accomplished
in 129 orbits, traveling over 2.9 million miles in 198 hours, 29 minutes.
She was the first woman pilot of a Space Shuttle.
STS-84 (May 15-24, 1997) was NASA's sixth Shuttle mission to rendezvous
and dock with the Russian Space Station Mir. During the flight, the
crew conducted a number of secondary experiments and transferred nearly
4 tons of supplies and experiment equipment between Atlantis and the
Mir station. In completing this 9-day mission, she traveled 3.8 million
miles in 145 orbits of the Earth logging a total of 221 hours and 20
minutes in space.
STS-93 Columbia (July 22-27, 1999) was the first Shuttle mission to
be commanded by a woman. STS-93 highlighted the deployment of the Chandra
X-Ray Observatory. Designed to conduct comprehensive studies of the
universe, the telescope will enable scientists to study exotic phenomena
such as exploding stars, quasars, and black holes. Mission duration
was 118 hours and 50 minutes.
JULY
1999