A hydrogen fuel leak, which could have caused an engine shutdown, costly delays on the launching pad, and a year of technical difficulties didn’t stop the successful launch of the $1.5 billion Chandra X-Ray Observatory on the Space Shuttle Columbia. Nor did it stop Eileen Collins, 42, from becoming NASA’s first female commander ever after 95 missions. Collins, who has logged over 5,000 hours of airtime in thirty types of aircraft and 537 of those hours in space, …showed first 75 words of 493 total…

…showed last 75 words of 493 total…caused the engines to shut down one second early leaving the shuttle seven miles short of its orbital mark. “Hey we pulled it off. We did it,” she kept telling herself and her crew. Although Collins is back to work having missed a vacation due to flight delays, writing reports until 2:30 a.m. and waking again at 5:45 a.m., she is eager to vacation with her husband and 3 ½-year-old daughter Bridget, preferably to a beach.