Absolvovala školu Elmira Free Academy (1974) a pak pokračovala ve studiu matematiky na Corning Community College. Školu ukončila v roce 1976 a pokračovala ve studiích na Syracuse University (1976–1978), Stanfordově univerzitě (ukončila 1986), USAF Institute of Technology (1985–1986), Webster University (ukončení 1989) a škole testovacích pilotů USAF Test Pilot School (1989–1990).
Jako pilotka působila v armádě v letech 1979 až 1990. V letech 1990 až 2006 byla členkou jednotky kosmonautů v NASA.
Vdala se, jejím manželem se stal James Pat Youngs.
Lety do vesmíru
Na oběžnou dráhu se v raketoplánech dostala čtyřikrát a strávila ve vesmíru 38 dní, 8 hodin a 10 minut. Pracovala na orbitálních stanicích MIR i ISS. Byla 321. člověkem ve vesmíru, 27. ženou.
Sts-114-patch.png The STS-107 patch The STS-114 patch design signifies the return of the Space Shuttle to flight and honors the memory of the Columbia crew, lost February 1, 2003.
The blue Shuttle rising above Earth's horizon includes the Columba constellation of seven stars, echoing the Columbia STS-107 patch and commemorating those seven crewmembers. The dominant element of the patch is the Earth, representing the unity and dedication of the many people whose efforts allow the Shuttle to return safely to flight. Against the nighttime Earth, the blue orbit represents the International Space Station, with the Shuttle crew spacewalk team named on the orbit. The red sun as the O in Noguchi signifies the contributions of the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency to the mission and to the ISS program. The multi-colored Shuttle plume represents the spectrum of challenges for this mission, including Shuttle inspection and repair experiments, International Space Station resupply and repair, and testing of new safety procedures.
Eileen Collins, STS-114 commander, said NASA is determined to make each successive Shuttle mission safer. "We're going to do something better on every flight." She said the crew will carry the memory of their friends on Columbia and the legacy of their mission back into Earth orbit. "We'll be remembering the Columbia crew during our mission," Collins said. "And I know that they're up there watching us, and watching the Shuttles get back into space again."
Designed by the crew members, the STS-63 crew patch depicts the orbiter maneuvering to rendezvous with Russia's Space Station Mir. The name is printed in Cyrillic on the side of the station. Visible in the Orbiter's payload bay are the commercial space laboratory Spacehab and the Shuttle Pointed Autonomous Research Tool for Astronomy (SPARTAN) satellite which are major payloads on the flight. The six points on the rising sun and the three stars are symbolic of the mission's Space Transportation System (STS) numerical designation. Flags of the United States and Russia at the bottom of the patch symbolize the cooperative operations of this mission.
Sts-84-patch.png The STS-84 emblem depicts the Space Shuttle Atlantis launching into Earth orbit to join the Russian Space Station Mir as part of Phase One (Shuttle-Mir) of the International Space Station program. The names of the eight astronauts who flew onboard Atlantis, including the two who changed their positions onboard Mir for a long duration flight, are shown along the border of the patch. The STS-84/Mir-23 team will transfer 7,000 pounds of experiments, Station hardware, food and clothing to and from Mir during the five-day period of docking. The Phase One program is represented by the rising Sun and by the Greek letter Phi followed by one star. This sixth Shuttle-Mir docking mission is symbolized by the six stars surrounding the word Mir in Cyrillic characters. Combined, the seven stars symbolize the current configuration of Mir, composed of six modules launched by the Russians and one module brought up by Atlantis on a previous docking flight.
The STS-93 mission patch, as designed by the five crew members. The STS-93 mission carried the Chandra X-Ray Observatory into low Earth orbit initiating its planned five-year astronomy mission. Chandra is the third of NASA’s great observatories, following the Hubble Space Telescope and the Compton Gamma Ray Observatory. Chandra provides scientists an order-of-magnitude improvement over current capabilities at X-Ray wavelengths. Observations of X-Ray emissions from energetic galaxies and clusters, as well as black holes, promise to greatly expand current understanding of the origin and evolution of our universe. The STS-93 patch depicts Chandra separating from the Space Shuttle Columbia after a successful deployment. A spiral galaxy is shown in the background as a possible target for Chandra observations. The two flags represent the international crew, consisting of astronauts from both the United States and France.
Commander Eileen Collins - GPN-2000-001177.jpg STS-93 Commander, Eileen M. Collins shown wearing an orange Launch and Entry Suit (LES) with helmet. Collins was the first woman to command a Space Shuttle mission.
USA
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