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Astronaut, alumna urges students to defy limitations
By Emily Opilo
Posted: 9/20/07, 12:34 AM EST Section: News
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Eileen Collins, a 1978 graduate of Syracuse University, was on campus to present a $10,000 Astronaut Scholarship Foundation check to aerospace engineering senior Rebecca Rought.
Collins also used the event to share photographs and memories from her flights aboard the space shuttle with a small group of about 75 students, faculty and others in the SU community gathered in the Hall of Languages.
Her message was that any one of them could be an astronaut someday.
"Never set limits for yourself," she said. "When I was a student here at Syracuse, if someone told me I was going to be an astronaut, I wouldn't have believed them. There were no women astronauts in those days."
Soft-spoken but commanding, Collins advised her audience to assert themselves and approach change with an open mind.
"The first flight was only 100 years ago," she added. "Two-hundred years ago, people would have laughed at the idea of airplanes flying. So don't let people tell you, 'No, you can't do it.'"
Flying was Collins' first love. She became a member of the U.S. Air Force in 1979. After being selected by NASA in 1990, Collins piloted several space shuttle missions, including the first flight of the joint Russian-American Space Program.
Collins broke gender boundaries for NASA in 1999, serving as a shuttle's first female commander. She was awarded an honorary degree from SU in 2001 and retired from NASA in 2006. She logged a total of 872 hours in space.
Collins, who commanded the first mission after the Columbia disaster of 2003, acknowledged the flaws and risks associated with the experimental Discovery vehicle, but she supported NASA's continual use of the shuttle until the International Space Station's scheduled completion in 2010.
She told her audience to embrace change rather than fear it, pointing to the changes and advancements in space travel since NASA's conception and the proposed ideas of ending manned space flights.
"Don't be afraid of change and new ideas," she said. "If people tell you, 'No, you can't do that,' don't take no for the first answer. Trust your gut and go with what you think is right."
Shawn Gardiner, a senior aerospace engineering major, said Collins' speech was a reminder of what SU students can accomplish.
"It gives a real-world perspective," he said. "Anyone from around here could join NASA or go into space."
Cheryl Nath, a sophomore aerospace engineering major and an aspiring astronaut, said Collins is a role model for her.
"I thought it was very interesting how many hours in space she had," Nath said. "She looks so young."
Retired university professor Norma DeLuccia, of Fayetteville, returned to campus for Collins' presentation. DeLuccia, also a Syracuse University graduate, said Collins is an inspiration.
"Like she said, you can't be afraid of change," DeLuccia said. "You have to go with your gut, and then you'll go far, just like her. She's a good role model for all of us; for students, for teachers, for the country."
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Rus Watkins
posted 9/20/07 @ 8:12 AM EST
As the father of two young girls, Commander Collins' story certainly is an inspiration - an excellent role model, whether a young woman (or man) is applying the lessons she offers to her professional or personal life. (Continued…)
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