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Spacewoman Documentary Tells Eileen Collins's Trailblazing Story
A new feature-length documentary about astronaut Eileen Collins — the first woman to pilot and command a Space Shuttle — traces her path from poverty in upstate New York to commanding four missions including the deployment of the Chandra X-Ray Observatory.
Key Takeaways
- Spacewoman documents Eileen Collins, first woman to pilot (1995) and command (1999) a Space Shuttle
- STS-93 suffered mid-flight engine failures but successfully deployed the Chandra X-Ray Observatory
- Collins grew up in poverty and funded early flight lessons with money saved from a paper route
- The documentary examines why women remained rare as Shuttle commanders despite Collins's milestone
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DT Editorial AI··via space.com