TPR’s Think Science program returned on March 11 to in-person events with a special talk, Q&A and book signing by Astronaut Col. Eileen Collins at the Scobee Education Center on the San Antonio College campus.
The talk focuses on Collins' book, "Through the Glass Ceiling to the Stars," what astronauts do, and our future in space. Following the lecture, a Q&A session brought queries from young attendees such as how long it takes to train as an astronaut, what courses should students study, and whether or not "astronaut ice cream" is any good!
About Eileen Collins
Eileen Collins was an aviation pioneer her entire career, from her crowning achievements as the first woman to command an American space mission as well as the first to pilot the space shuttle to her early years as one of the Air Force’s first female pilots. She was in the first class of women to earn pilot’s wings at Vance Air Force Base and was their first female instructor pilot. She was only the second woman pilot admitted to the Air Force’s elite Test Pilot Program at Edwards Air Force Base. NASA had such confidence in her skills as a leader and pilot that she was entrusted to command the first shuttle mission after the Columbia disaster, returning the United States to spaceflight after a two-year hiatus.
“Through the Glass Ceiling to the Stars” is the first time Eileen Collins has told her story in a book. It is a story not only of achievement and overcoming obstacles but of profound personal transformation. Join us for this special event as she shares a small part of her story, including leadership and life lessons, with the aim of inspiring and passing on her legacy to a new generation.
- Guest: Eileen Collins
- Moderator: Nathan Cone, TPR
Think Science is made possible by San Antonio Kidney, San Antonio Vascular and Endovascular Clinic, Port San Antonio and the Edwards Aquifer Authority.
