Eileen Collins, first woman to command a space shuttle, is in Reunion

Here is the press release:

As soon as she got off the plane, Eileen Collins expressed her enthusiasm and curiosity for Reunion Island, a territory she was discovering for the first time. The iconic astronaut, recognized for her commitment to space exploration and the place of women in science, said she was honored to contribute to the inauguration of the Omega 1 Data Center, of which she proudly plays the role of godmother. This new center, a pioneer in the region, which will be officially launched on Wednesday November 13, represents a strategic step forward for the island in the digital field.

During her stay, Eileen Collins will participate in several public meetings, particularly with the scientific and economic world of Reunion. She will share her vision of innovation and perseverance, discussing her exceptional journey at NASA and the challenges she overcame. His testimony will resonate with the Océinde group's ambition to position Réunion as a key digital player in the Indian Ocean.

An exceptional journey

Selected by NASA in 1991, Eileen Collins has led a career rich in missions within the American space agency. In 1995, she piloted the space shuttle Discovery for a landmark mission: the first docking of an American shuttle to the Russian space station MIR, a symbol of cooperation between the two nations. She then piloted the shuttle Atlantis in 1997, carrying out a new docking operation with MIR. In 1999, Eileen Collins made history and became the first woman to command an American spacecraft with the Columbia mission, where her crew deployed the Chandra X-ray Observatory.

The arrival of Eileen Collins is a rare opportunity for the people of Reunion to discover, through the eyes of a pioneer, the importance of innovation for the development and transformation of territories.