Louise Slaughter: “on July 23, 1999 Col. Eileen Marie Collins, U.S.A.F. took one giant step for all womankind by serving as the first woman…”

“on July 23, 1999 Col. Eileen Marie Collins, U.S.A.F. took one giant step for all womankind by serving as the first woman in history to command a space shuttle flight. I was privileged to fly to Cape Canaveral, Florida with the First Lady and the U.S. Women's Soccer Team on July 20, 1999 to watch the shuttle's first attempt. Although we were disappointed that the flight was delayed, we all marveled that just a few years ago events such as this one could not have occurred. Col. Collins was born in upstate New York, not far from my district, at a time when women were excluded from our nation's space exploration program. Col. Collins rarely ever missed an episode of Star Trek or Lost in Space according to her family. Along with her father, Col. Collins would watch the gliders soaring over Elmira hoping one day she too could fly. Eileen Collins dared to dream and her dreams became our dreams. Her efforts are inspiring young women and girls to tackle and excel at math and the sciences today. Col. Collins is blazing a trail that will undoubtedly be followed by future women astronauts. She has rendered outstanding service to her country and is a true role model to young and old alike. I would like to take this opportunity to commend and congratulate her on a tremendous accomplishment.”