NASA pioneer Eileen Collins visits Tulsa for film screening

Colonel Eileen Collins, the first woman to pilot a NASA space shuttle, visited Tulsa on Thursday to share her story and inspire future aviators. Collins, a former U.S. Air Force pilot, was among the first women to complete pilot training at Vance Air Force Base in Enid.

"I lived in Enid for five years," Collins said. "Way back when we had the first women go through pilot training at Vance, I was in the first class. There were four of us."

Breaking Barriers

Collins recalled the challenges of proving women could succeed in the cockpit.

"At the time the Air Force was to determine if women could fly like men in military aircraft. And of course, the answer was yes," Collins said. "So we had to succeed for ourselves because we wanted our wings. But we also had to succeed for the women that were gonna follow us."

Early Inspiration

Collins said her interest in flying began in childhood while watching gliders in her hometown in New York.

"I have always wanted to fly as far back as I can remember," Collins said. "I read about pilots of all kinds, and that's why I decided to become a pilot myself, reading about their adventures and how they explored the world and the places they went."

Life in Space

Collins described the experience of going into orbit and the growing possibilities of space tourism.

"It is going to be better than going on a cruise ship by far because the experience, first of all, the launches, like it would scare you to death if you didn't train for it," Collins said. "But you get through that and immediately everything goes to zero gravity and everything starts floating. It's magical. It's a whole different world."

She added,

"And the Earth is round. Do not argue with me about that."

Focus on Family

Though she has achieved historic milestones, Collins said her greatest pride is closer to home.

"Oh, honestly, this, my family," Collins said. "I am very proud of my career flying and I'm very happy that I had the opportunity to be in space. Just a wonderful experience. But I miss my family when I was up there, and you come back home and they're there."

Event Details

The Tulsa Air and Space Museum is hosting screenings of Spacewoman, a documentary about Collins' life, at 1:30 p.m. and 3:45 p.m. on Thursday. Both showings will be followed by a Q&A session with Collins.

A book signing begins at 1 p.m. Softcover copies are available for pre-order for $25, which includes Collins' signature. Tickets to the screenings are $25 and include museum admission.

Event details and tickets