[Congressional Record Volume 151, Number 119 (Wednesday, September 21, 2005)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E1920]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




RECOGNIZING SPACE SHUTTLE COMMANDER EILEEN COLLINS, MISSION SPECIALIST 
   WENDY LAWRENCE, AND THE CONTRIBUTIONS OF ALL OTHER WOMEN WHO HAVE 
                            WORKED WITH NASA

                                 ______
                                 

                               speech of

                        HON. SHEILA JACKSON-LEE

                                of texas

                    in the house of representatives

                      Tuesday, September 20, 2005

  Ms. JACKSON-LEE of Texas. Mr. Speaker, I rise today as a proud 
cosponsor of H. Res. 450 which recognizes Space Shuttle Commander 
Eileen Collins, Mission Specialist Wendy Lawrence, and the 
contributions of all other women who have worked with NASA following 
the successful mission of Space Shuttle Discovery on STS-114. Let me 
offer my own personal congratulations to these women who have not only 
advanced the cause of aeronautics through their work, but also they 
have advanced the cause of women through their determination.
  Let me take a moment to recognize Commander Eileen Collins who 
successfully returned NASA to flight. LTC Eileen Marie Collins was born 
in Elmira, New York on November 19, 1956. As a child, Eileen dreamed 
about space and of becoming a pilot. Her parents often took her to the 
airport to watch the planes take off and land. The Collins family 
wanted Eileen to attend college, but did not have the money to send 
her. After high school, she attended Corning Community College. While 
there, she studied hard to earn a two-year scholarship to Syracuse 
University. In 1978 Eileen Collins graduated with a bachelor of arts 
degree in mathematics and economics from Syracuse University. Later, 
she went on to earn a master of science degree in operations research 
from Stanford University and a master of arts degree in space systems 
management from Webster University.
  In 1979, LTC Collins graduated from Air Force Undergraduate Pilot 
Training at Vance Air Force Base. In 1990, while attending the Air 
Force Test Pilot School, she was selected for the astronaut program. 
Eileen Collins became an astronaut in July 1991 and the first woman to 
pilot the Space Shuttle on February 2, 1995. She made history once 
again in 1999. On July 23 LTC Collins became the first woman to command 
a Space Shuttle mission. Eileen Collins is also a wife and mother, but 
on top of all these titles and distinctions, she is an inspiration for 
many women throughout the world.
  I also want to take a moment to recognize CAPT Wendy B. Lawrence who 
served as a mission specialist on the Space Shuttle Discovery. CAPT 
Lawrence is a native of Jacksonville and has flown on four missions to 
space. Lawrence graduated from the U.S. Naval Academy in 1981 with a 
degree in Ocean Engineering. She went on to earn a master of science 
degree in Ocean Engineering from M.I.T. in 1988. Her mission aboard 
Discovery was to transfer payloads back and forth from the 
International Space Station using the robotic arm. She's made history, 
too. She was one of the first two female helicopter pilots to make a 
long deployment to the Indian Ocean as part of a carrier battle group 
while stationed at Helicopter Combat Support Squadron Six. Clearly, she 
made history again when the Shuttle Discovery returned NASA to flight.
  Both these women deserve great recognition for their work aboard the 
Shuttle Discovery and their lifetime of service to our Nation. Truly, 
many women from Sally Ride to Mae Jemison have made great strides to 
get to this day when a woman can command a space shuttle. To paraphrase 
a historic statement once made from the moon: `This is one small step 
for women and one giant leap for womenkind.'

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