2. EILEEN COLLIONS born November 19,1956(56) Emira, New York

3. Eileen grew up in a family with two brothers, a sister and "two very supportive parents." Her parents, Jim and Rose Collins describe her as "a very ordinary person, a down-to-earth individual. She's very thoughtful. Nobody handed her anything. Everything she is today, she's earned."

4.  Graduated from Elmira Free Academy, Elmira, New York

5.  Associate in science degree in mathematics/science from Corning Community College Bachelor of arts degree in mathematics and economics from Syracuse University she became one of the first women to go straight from college into Air Force pilot training. This is the point where Eileen set her goals on staying competitive for becoming an astronaut.

6. She went to Stanford unirsity, Syracuse university and corning community college

7.  Collins was also the first female commander of a U.S. Spacecraft with Shuttle mission sts- 93, launched in July 1999, which deployed the Chandra.  On May 1, 2006, Collins announced that she would leave NASA to spend more time with her family and pursue other interests. Since her retirement from NASA, she has been seen as a Space Shuttle analyst generally covering Shuttle launches and landings for cnn

8.  Collins commanded STS114, NASA's "return to flight" mission to test safety improvements and resupply the international space station(ISS). The flight was launched on July 26, 2005, and returned on August 9, 2005. During STS-114, Collins became the first astronaut to fly the Space Shuttle through a complete 360 degree pitch maneuver. This was necessary so astronauts aboard the ISS could take photographs of the Shuttle's belly, to ensure there was no threat from debris- related damage to the Shuttle upon reentry.

9. NASA stands for National Aeronautics and Space Administration. NASA was started in 1958 as a part of the United States government. NASA is in charge of U.S. science and technology that has to do with airplanes or space

10. NASA does a lot of different things. NASA makes satellites. The satellites help scientists learn more about Earth. NASA sends probes out into space. NASA scientists study things in the solar system, and even farther away. A new program will send humans to the moon, Mars and beyond. People at NASA work on ways to make air travel better for everyone on Earth, too. People at NASA also share the things they learn with others. This can help make life on Earth better.