Episode 91: Spacewoman Col. Eileen Collins

Technology Today

Southwest Research Institute

Technology

4.8 • 19 Ratings

🗓️ 26 May 2026

⏱️ 43 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

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Summary

Colonel Eileen Collins, an SwRI advisory trustee and the first woman to pilot and command a NASA spacecraft has been on tour across the U.S. with her new documentary, “Spacewoman.” She stopped into the podcast studio to talk about the film based on her book, “Through the Glass Ceiling to the Stars.” As a NASA astronaut, Collins was part of four space missions, including serving as commander of the Return to Flight Mission following the Columbia disaster of 2003. Listen now as Col. Collins discusses her path to NASA, the varied effects of space travel on the human body, how she overcame doubts and fears to venture back into space after tragedy and the documentary that dives deep into the darkest and most triumphant moments of her life.

Transcript

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0:00.0	A new documentary chronicles the life of retired Air Force Colonel Eileen Collins, the first woman to pilot and command a NASA spacecraft.
0:09.9	Collins rocketed to space four times.
0:13.2	She's here today to talk about her NASA missions, her extraordinary career, and the raw and honest film exposing vulnerable moments and celebrating triumphant
0:23.4	milestones in her life.
0:25.4	That's next on this episode of Technology Today.
0:31.6	We live with technology, science, engineering, and the results of innovative research every day.
0:39.1	Now, let's understand it better.
0:44.3	You're listening to the Technology Today podcast presented by Southwest Research Institute.
0:49.0	From deep sea to deep space, we develop solutions to benefit humankind.
0:57.5	Transcript and photos for this episode and all episodes are available at podcast.swri.org. Share the podcast and hit that subscribe button on your favorite podcast platform. Hello and welcome to technology today.
1:03.4	I'm Lisa Benia. The documentary Spacewoman tells the remarkable story of Colonel Eileen Collins,
1:10.4	recounting her career as an astronaut and as
1:13.4	the first woman to pilot a space shuttle during the Discovery Mission in 1995 and the first woman
1:19.6	to command a space mission, the Columbia mission in 1999. But it also goes behind the scenes, diving
1:26.4	into her childhood, family life, and the moments that shaped her identity.
1:31.3	It's based on her book, Through the Glass Sealing to the Stars.
1:35.2	Colonel Collins serves as an SWRI advisory trustee, and she's here today to talk about her journey to NASA experiences during during her four missions, and her new documentary.
1:47.2	Eileen, you have certainly been busy making the rounds across the country for screenings,
1:52.0	audience Q&A sessions, TV interviews, so we're so glad you could be here today in our podcast studio.
1:57.7	Well, thanks, Lisa.
1:58.5	Thanks for inviting me.
1:59.6	Looking forward to talking about
	...

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