WINGS of EAGLES DISCOVERY CENTER

WE SHOOT SPORTS

EILEEN COLLINS HONORED

For more information about Wings of Eagles Discovery Center visit their website at http://www.wingsofeagles.com/

Wings of Eagles Discovery Center Honors Eileen Collins

2/26/2006 - Wings of Eagles Discovery Center, Big Flats, NY

Greeted by an over flow crowd of enthusisatic children, parents and grandparents, Commander Eileen Collins was honored at the museum this afternoon. Returning to her hometown for 4 days, Commander Collins has been in Elmira making appearances at local events and schools and visiting her family. Her last appearance is Monday at Notre Dame High School.

Presented by museum director Mike Hall, the museum had put together a short video on her life, after which, Commander Collins gave the appreciative crowd a short history of her life as she grew up, her time in the airforce , how she became an astronaut and her 4 missions into space.

Commander Collins gave accounts of her last mission and her visit to the space station, followed by a video made by and from images and footage from the crew on her last mission. The video showed that while space missions are full of danger and a lot of hard work, they also include lots of fun for those who are lucky enough to make the trip. Being in zero gravity makes for some interesting uses of food and movement of objects. She also explained some of the effects of being weightless on the astronauts body.and the how long it takes to acclimate to earth after returning. "The first few hours feel weird as you walk off the shuttle and it's tough to get up out of your seat once you land," she said, "it's such a weird feeling to feel your feet being pulled down to the ground after being in space for a couple weeks".

Museum Director Mike Hall accepts Collins' plaque

Her presentation was followed by a lengthy question and answer period with most of the questions coming from children in the audience. When asked if she would she be goimg bacl into space, Commander Collins stated that she doubted that she would venture in to space again, "I've had my 4 missions into space and it's time for someone younger to get some experience." She said she would like to see the remaining 50 astronauts get a chance to make the trip and she looks forward to being able to continue to teach others and to further space travel.

Related Archived Articles:

Collins speaks at Wings of Eagles Discovery Center

When asked what she missed most while in space, she stated lasgana and pizza, and then added - her family. She was more than ready to get home and see her family. While in space, she was so busy, she rarely had time to communicate with them other than by email.

Asked if she was ever scared of the launch or being in space, she stated that she always looked forward to the thrill of the launch and the time of the mission in space and that she never felt scared, which she credited to her extensive training. Alot of what she did as a flight instructor in the air force came through in her training and subsquent shuttle missions. She had a strong background in math and science and taught 3 years of advanced math to other pilots.

Asked by one girl of what she did while growing up, she fondly recalled her many jobs and learning to fly at the Elmira Airport in a Cessena 150 and Piper aircraft. She spoke of being a girl scout and how she was going to enroll her daughter as a girl scout so she could have those experiences.

She told of special foods they take into space including ice cream - although they don't have any freezers on the shuttle and no fresh foods. Everything is packaged and needs no refrigeration.

She ended by presenting Mike Hall a special plaque for the museum to display, which contained a patch and other items from the last mission of 17 days and several million miles. She closed saying she was homored to be back in Elmira and wished the Wings of Eagles Discovery Center well in their quest to teach and expose the youth of our area to space, the sciences and the history of space exploration.

Questions, Need A photographer, Fund Raising?