The First Woman Space Shuttle Pilot’s Memoir "Through The Glass Ceiling To The Stars" co-authored with Jonathan H Ward is being released as paperback on March 7

SAN ANTONIO, TX, UNITED STATES, March 3, 2023 /EINPresswire.com/ -- The long-awaited memoir “Through The Glass Ceiling To The Stars” of Eileen Collins, an aviation pioneer her entire career, is being released as a trade paperback for the first time on March 7th. “Through The Glass Ceiling To The Stars” takes readers on a rocket ride through Eileen’s crowning achievements as the first woman to command an American space mission as well as the first to pilot the space shuttle to her early years as one of the Air Force’s first female pilots. She was in the first class of women to earn pilot’s wings at Vance Air Force Base, their first woman instructor pilot, and only the second woman pilot admitted to the Air Force’s elite Test Pilot Program at Edwards Air Force Base.

NASA had such confidence in Eileen’s skills as a leader and pilot that she was entrusted to command the first shuttle mission after the Columbia disaster, returning the U.S. to spaceflight after a two-year forced hiatus as an anxious world watched and prayed for their safe return. Since retiring from the Air Force and NASA, Colonel Collins has served on several corporate boards and speaks to audiences around the globe about space exploration, leadership, and her many firsts in flight and spaceflight.

More than just a book for space junkies, “Through The Glass Ceiling To The Stars” is a story not only of achievement and overcoming obstacles but of profound personal transformation. The Eileen Collins story as told in the book is that of a shy, quiet child of an alcoholic father and struggling single mother, who grew up in modest circumstances and was an unremarkable student. Eileen had few prospects when she graduated from high school, but she changed her life to pursue her secret dream of becoming an astronaut. Collins shares her leadership and life lessons throughout the book to inspire and pass on her legacy to a new generation of young people, especially young girls and women, proving that anything is possible.

The trade paperback edition of “Through The Glass Ceiling To The Stars-The Story of the First American Woman to Command a Space Mission” published by Arcade and distributed by Simon and Schuster is available March 7th at bookstores everywhere.

About the Authors:

Eileen M. Collins, Colonel USAF, retired from the Air Force in 2005 and from NASA in 2006, having logged more than 6,751 hours in thirty different types of aircraft and spent 872 hours in space. She is the recipient of the Distinguished Flying Cross and NASA Outstanding Leadership Medal and was inducted into the Astronaut Hall of Fame, among many other honors. Since retiring, she has traveled the world as a motivational speaker. Col. Collins recently served as an advisor to the National Space Council and is a board member of the Astronauts Memorial Foundation. She is married, with two children.

Jonathan H. Ward is a resident astronomer and enrichment lecturer for Viking and Cunard, a Solar System Ambassador for the Jet Propulsion Laboratory, and a sought-after speaker on space exploration topics. A Fellow of the Royal Astronomical Society, he is the coauthor with Michael D. Leinbach of “Bringing Columbia Home” and the author of two books on the Apollo program. Jonathan lives in Greensboro, North Carolina.

Praise For “Through The Glass Ceiling To The Stars-The Story of the First American Woman to Command a Space Mission”:

"This is one of the essential astronaut autobiographies."—National Space Society

“Well worth waiting for . . . She became famous for breaking the glass ceilings of the book’s title by being the first woman to be a shuttle pilot and a commander, but her accounts of the missions themselves are fascinating as well.”—Space Review

“Given the chance, I would long ponder trading places with Eileen Collins…what a read!"—Tom Hanks, Academy Award-winning actor, "Apollo 13", "From The Earth To The Moon”

“You will love (Collins’) book: it is exciting, personal, detailed…and full of hope—that rare quality we all search for. Yeehaw, Commander Collins! What a life you have led and what a tale you have told! Brava!”—Judy Collins, Grammy-winning singer, songwriter, author

"Eileen Collins is a living legend and an inspiration to young people all over the world…when you come across a story of such determination, it is a reminder that once you set your mind to something, even the sky is not the limit.”—Fashion icon Tommy Hilfiger

“I hope that a young explorer who reads Eileen’s book will be inspired to become the first human on Mars. Eileen proves that there is no limit to what we can do if we stay true to our goals and keep moving forward.”—legendary NASA astronaut Buzz Aldrin

Burke Allen/ Shaili Priya
Allen Media Strategies
+1 703-589-8960
shaili@allenmediastrategies.com
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