High-flying superwoman in space

Her achievement has garnered nowhere near the attention that Ride’s historic flight did, but Collins said in a pre-flight interview that the relative lack of fuss may be a sign of progress.

“Eventually, having a woman in these roles won’t be news anymore,” she told The New York Times. “It will be accepted and expected.”

One day after the successful deployment of the Chandra X-ray observatory, the crew began a series of experiments charting the solar system, NASA officials said on Sunday. But Collins acknowledges that her responsibility as an astronaut extends far beyond the five-day space mission. “I’m setting a precedent for women to follow. With that in mind, I want to do thebest job that I can,” Collins said.

A decorated Air Force pilot, Collins was the first woman to pilot a shuttle, the Discovery, in 1995. The veteran of two previous shuttle flights to the Russian Mir is seen by her admirers as the perfect candidate to break the commander gender barrier.

Collins is also a wife and the mother of a three-year old daughter, Bridget, and is known for her deft juggling of work and family life. “She is the only shuttle commander with baby bottles on her desk between the stacks of checklists,” said shuttle crew member Jeffrey Ashby said in the Times.