What do you think?
Rate this book
Through the Glass Ceiling to the Stars: The Story of the First American Woman to Command a Space Mission
The long-awaited memoir of a trailblazer and role model who is telling her story for the first time.
Eileen Collins was an aviation pioneer her entire career, from her crowning achievements as the first woman to command an American space mission as well as the first to pilot the space shuttle to her early years as one of the Air Force’s first female pilots. She was in the first class of women to earn pilot’s wings at Vance Air Force Base and was their first female instructor pilot. She was only the second woman admitted to the Air Force’s elite Test Pilot Program at Edwards Air Force Base. NASA had such confidence in her skills as a leader and pilot that she was entrusted to command the first shuttle mission after the Columbia disaster, returning the US to spaceflight after a two-year hiatus. Since retiring from the Air Force and NASA, she has served on numerous corporate boards and is an inspirational speaker about space exploration and leadership.
Eileen Collins is among the most recognized and admired women in the world, yet this is the first time she has told her story in a book. It is a story not only of achievement and overcoming obstacles but of profound personal transformation. The shy, quiet child of an alcoholic father and struggling single mother, who grew up in modest circumstances and was an unremarkable student, she had few prospects when she graduated from high school, but she changed her life to pursue her secret dream of becoming an astronaut. She shares her leadership and life lessons throughout the book with the aim of inspiring and passing on her legacy to a new generation.
Eileen Collins was an aviation pioneer her entire career, from her crowning achievements as the first woman to command an American space mission as well as the first to pilot the space shuttle to her early years as one of the Air Force’s first female pilots. She was in the first class of women to earn pilot’s wings at Vance Air Force Base and was their first female instructor pilot. She was only the second woman admitted to the Air Force’s elite Test Pilot Program at Edwards Air Force Base. NASA had such confidence in her skills as a leader and pilot that she was entrusted to command the first shuttle mission after the Columbia disaster, returning the US to spaceflight after a two-year hiatus. Since retiring from the Air Force and NASA, she has served on numerous corporate boards and is an inspirational speaker about space exploration and leadership.
Eileen Collins is among the most recognized and admired women in the world, yet this is the first time she has told her story in a book. It is a story not only of achievement and overcoming obstacles but of profound personal transformation. The shy, quiet child of an alcoholic father and struggling single mother, who grew up in modest circumstances and was an unremarkable student, she had few prospects when she graduated from high school, but she changed her life to pursue her secret dream of becoming an astronaut. She shares her leadership and life lessons throughout the book with the aim of inspiring and passing on her legacy to a new generation.
368 pages, Hardcover
First published October 19, 2021
86 people are currently reading
1478 people want to read
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 30 of 127 reviews
December 18, 2023
Through the Glass Ceiling to the Stars: The Story of the First American Woman to Command a Space Mission is a fabulous memoir by Eileen Collins. I listened to it on audiobook and Molly Secours is a terrific narrator.
Collins describes her challenging childhood and her dream to become a pilot and an astronaut. She "dodged a bullet" when an Air Force recruiter did not show up to interview her. At the time, she had not been to college and did not realize that a college degree would enable her to enter the Air Force as an Officer which would help her become a pilot.
She was one of the first women to become a military pilot; at that point in time, women pilots could not fly combat missions but they could deliver supplies and other non-combat flight responsibilities.
Integrity, grit, determination, preparation, excellence, and professionalism helped Collins be a trailblazer and role model.
Collins describes her challenging childhood and her dream to become a pilot and an astronaut. She "dodged a bullet" when an Air Force recruiter did not show up to interview her. At the time, she had not been to college and did not realize that a college degree would enable her to enter the Air Force as an Officer which would help her become a pilot.
She was one of the first women to become a military pilot; at that point in time, women pilots could not fly combat missions but they could deliver supplies and other non-combat flight responsibilities.
Integrity, grit, determination, preparation, excellence, and professionalism helped Collins be a trailblazer and role model.
November 27, 2023
A fascinating autobiography from Eileen Marie Collins who became the first woman to pilot a space shuttle. This was the Discovery on 03-Feb-1995.
What is amazing is that Eileen got to this position through sheer hard work. There was no nepotism involved whatsoever. In fact, her alcoholic father left the family when she was 9 years old. Having taken more than a passing interest in aviation when she was at community college she gets herself onto the Air Force’s Reserve Officer Training Corps (ROTC) program at Syracuse University in 1976. Things progress from there. They progress because she wants to be a pilot. She graduates in 1978 and is commissioned as a second lieutenant.
Just to know what you want to do at that age (20 yrs old) is quite something but pushing yourself to be the best that is more than laudable, especially what is, and certainly was back then, a male dominated profession. At the age of just 24 she became the first woman to fly an F-15. If, like me, you have no idea what an F-15 plane looks like then go and look it up on Google. My word. What an experience that must have been to fly. ‘The F-15 felt like the closest thing to a rocket that existed.’ To show what women were up against a law from 1948 ‘enabled women to pursue careers in the military (but) also contained a “combat exclusion policy.” It specifically prohibited women from serving on aircraft that might engage in combat.’ This was not updated until 1993. Regardless, Eileen loved what she was doing.
The book flows nicely and Eileen comes across as a very down to earth person which is an odd thing to say about an astronaut. It does not get too technical thankfully. I am reading this as the SpaceX Starship is launched. This is a a super heavy rocket. It was an unmanned test that they hope will be able to go to the moon and beyond in the future. I am sure Eileen will be keeping an eye on developments.
What is amazing is that Eileen got to this position through sheer hard work. There was no nepotism involved whatsoever. In fact, her alcoholic father left the family when she was 9 years old. Having taken more than a passing interest in aviation when she was at community college she gets herself onto the Air Force’s Reserve Officer Training Corps (ROTC) program at Syracuse University in 1976. Things progress from there. They progress because she wants to be a pilot. She graduates in 1978 and is commissioned as a second lieutenant.
Just to know what you want to do at that age (20 yrs old) is quite something but pushing yourself to be the best that is more than laudable, especially what is, and certainly was back then, a male dominated profession. At the age of just 24 she became the first woman to fly an F-15. If, like me, you have no idea what an F-15 plane looks like then go and look it up on Google. My word. What an experience that must have been to fly. ‘The F-15 felt like the closest thing to a rocket that existed.’ To show what women were up against a law from 1948 ‘enabled women to pursue careers in the military (but) also contained a “combat exclusion policy.” It specifically prohibited women from serving on aircraft that might engage in combat.’ This was not updated until 1993. Regardless, Eileen loved what she was doing.
The book flows nicely and Eileen comes across as a very down to earth person which is an odd thing to say about an astronaut. It does not get too technical thankfully. I am reading this as the SpaceX Starship is launched. This is a a super heavy rocket. It was an unmanned test that they hope will be able to go to the moon and beyond in the future. I am sure Eileen will be keeping an eye on developments.
September 19, 2021
***Note: I received a copy curtesy of Netgalley and Skyhorse Publishing in exchange for an honest review.
Interesting facts, but a little too many technical details and information about planes for my taste. Also, everything was delivered in a rather disjointed writing&package - I strongly believe this could use more editing, as the author jumps chaotically from idea to idea and is a little too telegraphic.
Having said that, I feel the need to mention that the 3 stars rating is only for the book and has nothing to do with Eileen M. Collins's life and accomplishments. I greatly admire how much she worked to achieve her dreams and what she accomplished, and that she is trying to inspire others to dream big.
Interesting facts, but a little too many technical details and information about planes for my taste. Also, everything was delivered in a rather disjointed writing&package - I strongly believe this could use more editing, as the author jumps chaotically from idea to idea and is a little too telegraphic.
Having said that, I feel the need to mention that the 3 stars rating is only for the book and has nothing to do with Eileen M. Collins's life and accomplishments. I greatly admire how much she worked to achieve her dreams and what she accomplished, and that she is trying to inspire others to dream big.
March 19, 2025
This book is the story of Eileen Collins and her journey from becoming a pilot to an astronaut to commanding a space mission. Her story starts during her childhood years, her career, and all of her accomplishments throughout her life, including:
✨Being the first woman to command an American space mission
✨One of the Air Force’s first female pilots
✨Being in the first class of women to earn pilot’s wings at Vance Air Force Base/their first female instructor pilot.
✨NASA entrusted her to command the first shuttle mission after the Columbia disaster
This was such a great and fascinating memoir! I haven’t read many astronaut stories, and I learned so much about what it takes to become an astronaut. I learned so much more about the steps, skills, knowledge, and commitment that is put into becoming a pilot and astronaut, leaving me with an even deeper respect for Eileen and those in this field.
Eileen worked incredibly hard to chase her dreams and didn’t give up or give in when faced with difficult obstacles and challenges along the way; she worked that much harder. She had a great attitude and mindset; I loved seeing how she took the time to get to know the women/wives of the other pilots, asked to work alongside the men during basic training, and her ability to be a strong and exceptional leader. She’s a great inspiration and an especially great example for women.
Content to consider: Death, grief, loss, mention of alcoholic father, 1 word (H)
This book was recommended to me by Jennifer, @thisfilledhome on Instagram💕
✨Being the first woman to command an American space mission
✨One of the Air Force’s first female pilots
✨Being in the first class of women to earn pilot’s wings at Vance Air Force Base/their first female instructor pilot.
✨NASA entrusted her to command the first shuttle mission after the Columbia disaster
This was such a great and fascinating memoir! I haven’t read many astronaut stories, and I learned so much about what it takes to become an astronaut. I learned so much more about the steps, skills, knowledge, and commitment that is put into becoming a pilot and astronaut, leaving me with an even deeper respect for Eileen and those in this field.
Eileen worked incredibly hard to chase her dreams and didn’t give up or give in when faced with difficult obstacles and challenges along the way; she worked that much harder. She had a great attitude and mindset; I loved seeing how she took the time to get to know the women/wives of the other pilots, asked to work alongside the men during basic training, and her ability to be a strong and exceptional leader. She’s a great inspiration and an especially great example for women.
Content to consider: Death, grief, loss, mention of alcoholic father, 1 word (H)
This book was recommended to me by Jennifer, @thisfilledhome on Instagram💕
October 10, 2021
Through the Glass Ceiling to the Stars is a memoir of the first woman to command the American Space Mission, along with other achievements - Eileen Collins.
The story talks about her journey from her young years to achieving her dreams and being an inspiration for Women. Eileen's story is remarkable and interesting, crushing the barriers and paving way for the future generations.
The book is a good read, however I did find it to have information on Aircrafts that I could not relate to. I wish there were pictures of the Aircrafts or Eileen in those days to help readers connect.
If you like Aircrafts, and are interested in knowing the story of Eileen, then do give Through the Glass Ceiling to the Stars a try.
Thanks you Netgalley, publishers - Skyhorse Publishing, Arcade and authors Eileen M. Collins and Jonathan H. Ward for the ARC.
The story talks about her journey from her young years to achieving her dreams and being an inspiration for Women. Eileen's story is remarkable and interesting, crushing the barriers and paving way for the future generations.
The book is a good read, however I did find it to have information on Aircrafts that I could not relate to. I wish there were pictures of the Aircrafts or Eileen in those days to help readers connect.
If you like Aircrafts, and are interested in knowing the story of Eileen, then do give Through the Glass Ceiling to the Stars a try.
Thanks you Netgalley, publishers - Skyhorse Publishing, Arcade and authors Eileen M. Collins and Jonathan H. Ward for the ARC.
July 25, 2021
Eileen Collins, also known as Col. Eileen M. Collins,USAF (Retired) is the American Dream personified. A true patriot, she shares her story, from small town girl to NASA Space Shuttle Commander. Let’s clarify that. She was was the FIRST woman shuttle pilot and then commander, and she participated in four shuttle missions.
The author starts with her early life. She saw herself as a girl with no special talents, who stuttered and was “painfully shy.” She had a humble beginning and she grew up in Elmira, New York. What really astounded me was when Eileen described her high school graduation, where she realized that many other students had been awarded prizes and scholarships and she had not. She decided to focus and become more.
She put herself through community college, majoring in math and science and then entered the Air Force ROTC program at Syracuse University. From there, not even the sky was the limit for Ms Collins. She rapidly progressed through the years of pilot training. She achieved her dream of being accepted into the NASA astronaut program. Her nickname was “Mom” and “Mrs. Clever”.
She write her book in an honest, open and modest way. This is a factual book, not a personal “tell-all” and she does not disclose much of her personal life. She gives clear descriptions of her career and flights to space and the space station, making the technical info understandable. She is a positive person who didn’t fear or even acknowledge “the glass ceiling”. She just did her best. She is happiest and most connected when she focuses on the mission and helping others. And she is always prepared.
This is an inspiring look at an exciting part of American history, written by a true hero. I myself was a shy girl, who crowded around the small black and white tv screen in my classroom to watch the Mercury and Apollo launches. To think another young girl with dreams of space grew up to achieve so much is incredible and wonderful to me.
And now, a world of new space attempts is opening up. “Though the Glass Ceiling to the Stars” will show you the start of USA space exploration, and I hope it encourages everyone to persevere and follow their dreams. Great book. Thanks to NetGalley and Skyhorse Publishing for an advance digital review copy. This is my honest review.
The author starts with her early life. She saw herself as a girl with no special talents, who stuttered and was “painfully shy.” She had a humble beginning and she grew up in Elmira, New York. What really astounded me was when Eileen described her high school graduation, where she realized that many other students had been awarded prizes and scholarships and she had not. She decided to focus and become more.
She put herself through community college, majoring in math and science and then entered the Air Force ROTC program at Syracuse University. From there, not even the sky was the limit for Ms Collins. She rapidly progressed through the years of pilot training. She achieved her dream of being accepted into the NASA astronaut program. Her nickname was “Mom” and “Mrs. Clever”.
She write her book in an honest, open and modest way. This is a factual book, not a personal “tell-all” and she does not disclose much of her personal life. She gives clear descriptions of her career and flights to space and the space station, making the technical info understandable. She is a positive person who didn’t fear or even acknowledge “the glass ceiling”. She just did her best. She is happiest and most connected when she focuses on the mission and helping others. And she is always prepared.
This is an inspiring look at an exciting part of American history, written by a true hero. I myself was a shy girl, who crowded around the small black and white tv screen in my classroom to watch the Mercury and Apollo launches. To think another young girl with dreams of space grew up to achieve so much is incredible and wonderful to me.
And now, a world of new space attempts is opening up. “Though the Glass Ceiling to the Stars” will show you the start of USA space exploration, and I hope it encourages everyone to persevere and follow their dreams. Great book. Thanks to NetGalley and Skyhorse Publishing for an advance digital review copy. This is my honest review.
March 12, 2025
This memoir was thoroughly fascinating and enjoyable! Hearing her journey from wanting to be a pilot to becoming an astronaut to commanding a space mission is pretty remarkable.
🧑🚀 She did not have great grades in high school and she would not consider herself to be super academic. But she worked hard and continued to chase her dreams.
🧑🚀 I was not expecting to learn so many truths about leadership and working as a team, but I loved these nuggets throughout.
➡️ Leadership takes listening, humility, creativity.
➡️ Every mistake and setback is necessary on any journey that is meaningful. You must learn from them.
🧑🚀 Before she took a leadership position she had some big frustrations with the communication flow above her.
➡️ As a leader, make sure someone under you hears the bad news from you, they should not be hearing it from other people.
➡️ As a leader, it’s very hard to get a good read on the working culture under you. That takes intentional work and listening to others to understand where it’s really at.
➡️ As a leader, people notice how you handle disappointment and it’s extremely important to handle it well as the effects of it will trickle down to everyone else.
🧑🚀 I was fascinated to learn her perspective on the tragedy of the Columbia space shuttle, which I have read a good amount on. The fact that a piece of foam fell off, hit the wing of the space shuttle (creating a hole which eventually blew up the entire shuttle in return to earth) was as much of an engineering problem as a working culture problem was a bit shocking. NASA noticed this on launch and even reached out to the Air Force to start a process of help to fix this problem. However, certain experts said nothing could be done about it so NASA withdrew the request. And in the end eight people died as a result.💔
🧑🚀 She flew a total of four space missions. I learned most of an astronaut’s life is behind a desk with only a short amount of time actually flying in space.
🧑🚀 I loved hearing her descriptions about seeing the Earth from space and how she could pinpoint different large cities as they flew around the globe.🌎
⚠️ No language that I remember. Death, grief, loss.
🧑🚀 She did not have great grades in high school and she would not consider herself to be super academic. But she worked hard and continued to chase her dreams.
🧑🚀 I was not expecting to learn so many truths about leadership and working as a team, but I loved these nuggets throughout.
➡️ Leadership takes listening, humility, creativity.
➡️ Every mistake and setback is necessary on any journey that is meaningful. You must learn from them.
🧑🚀 Before she took a leadership position she had some big frustrations with the communication flow above her.
➡️ As a leader, make sure someone under you hears the bad news from you, they should not be hearing it from other people.
➡️ As a leader, it’s very hard to get a good read on the working culture under you. That takes intentional work and listening to others to understand where it’s really at.
➡️ As a leader, people notice how you handle disappointment and it’s extremely important to handle it well as the effects of it will trickle down to everyone else.
🧑🚀 I was fascinated to learn her perspective on the tragedy of the Columbia space shuttle, which I have read a good amount on. The fact that a piece of foam fell off, hit the wing of the space shuttle (creating a hole which eventually blew up the entire shuttle in return to earth) was as much of an engineering problem as a working culture problem was a bit shocking. NASA noticed this on launch and even reached out to the Air Force to start a process of help to fix this problem. However, certain experts said nothing could be done about it so NASA withdrew the request. And in the end eight people died as a result.💔
🧑🚀 She flew a total of four space missions. I learned most of an astronaut’s life is behind a desk with only a short amount of time actually flying in space.
🧑🚀 I loved hearing her descriptions about seeing the Earth from space and how she could pinpoint different large cities as they flew around the globe.🌎
⚠️ No language that I remember. Death, grief, loss.
August 6, 2021
This was a fantastic autobiography of a remarkable woman. Collins and Ward have written an account of Collins's life and career that, while no-nonsense, is never dry. There is a chapter devoted to each of Collins's 4 space shuttle missions, as well as a chapter where Collins takes a hard look at the Columbia tragedy and its aftermath. Her work ethic and unceasing ambition were an inspiration to read about. Overall, Collins comes across as a woman of the highest integrity who is well aware of her place in history and the responsibilities she carried throughout her career. Thank you to Edelweiss, Arcade Publishing, Eileen M. Collins, and Jonathan H. Ward for the opportunity to read and review this book.
February 21, 2022
Before cracking it open, I expected to like this book more than I did. As astronaut bios go, it’s pretty average despite Col. Collins achieving many firsts in an outstanding career. The book contains the prerequisite personal anecdotes of challenges, setbacks and achievements, but written in a perfunctory style. Col. Collins states she is not a professional author, and I’m left wondering if her accomplishments could have been told better with another coauthor. That said, Col. Collins is a brilliant role model and I hope this book does inspire young readers to pursue careers in STEM, the military and the space program.
April 13, 2024
Great read for anyone and an amazing biography.
January 15, 2024
LOVED learning about the space shuttle program through the lens of this pioneer. Book release was well timed as NASA preps to go lunar for the first time in almost fifty years and plans to put the first woman, person of color, and indigenous astronaut on the moon!!! *clears calendar on all potential launch dates*
July 29, 2022
It was fascinating to read all about the behind the scenes of NASA and all that is involved in getting a spaceship into space. The training is phenomenal. These astronauts and the scientists behind the scenes are SO intelligent. It was heartbreaking to read about the Challenger and Columbia tragedies. This woman had no privileges growing up, but she was focused, determined, hard working and very smart. I would have preferred more about her personal life but her personal life had to come second because of the demands of her career and so therefore it was secondary to the story of her life.
August 6, 2022
An unremarkable child if one were to look at her High School transcripts, who becomes the first woman to pilot a space shuttle, and the first to command a space shuttle. There's a lot surprising and lot that isn't. I think she's smarter than she lets on, but she sure is determined. An honest look at someone who wasn't blessed from birth to make all the right decisions all the time, but someone smart enough to learn from her mistakes.
January 15, 2022
Not great literature, but a heartfelt autobiography of Eileen Collins’ early life through her time as NASA Astronaut.
She was commissioned only 5-years after me so we basically shared the same AF and space activities but from different roles. I especially enjoyed some of the intersections. For example, I was just starting my astronaut training in 1983 when she flew a mission during the US invasion of Grenada to rescue all the US college students there. Later, I went to the AF TPS at Edwards in 1984. She attended a few years later in 1989, where my brother (John) was one of her flight instructors. (John also was a pilot for Delta Airlines and knew her husband, Pat Youngs.)
Many of the people she highlighted in the book as important to her career were also my colleagues who I knew and respected, especially the NASA Flight Director Wayne Hale (we attended the same Aspen Executive course and have stayed in touch since), and NASA astronauts Charlie Precourt and Kent Rominger (who I worked closely with developing the NGC OmegA launch system). There were many other mutual colleagues (e.g., Jeff Ashby, Pam Melroy, Susan Helms, Ron Sega, Mike Griffin, Sean O’Keefe and many others.)
I greatly appreciated Collins’ “no agenda” narration of her experiences as an AF pilot and a NASA astronaut, including and especially when she made mistakes or didn’t perform up to her own expectations. Her description of her space sickness on her first flight (age 38), and her exhaustion and pain after her last flight (age 48) were particularly enlightening. The painstakingly detailed engineering & operations she conducted to command the “back-to-flight” mission STS-114 in 2005, more than 2-years after the Colombia disaster and 6-years after her last flight, was the ultimate “gut check” for anyone with any space or flight experience. Any way you look at it, this was an impressive command performance with lives and the future of the entire US space program on the line.
It’s clear she loved her family, the AF, the military, the NASA culture, and America - mistakes and all. Here here. A great, humble, no frills autobiography of a real “hand on the stick” American hero.
She was commissioned only 5-years after me so we basically shared the same AF and space activities but from different roles. I especially enjoyed some of the intersections. For example, I was just starting my astronaut training in 1983 when she flew a mission during the US invasion of Grenada to rescue all the US college students there. Later, I went to the AF TPS at Edwards in 1984. She attended a few years later in 1989, where my brother (John) was one of her flight instructors. (John also was a pilot for Delta Airlines and knew her husband, Pat Youngs.)
Many of the people she highlighted in the book as important to her career were also my colleagues who I knew and respected, especially the NASA Flight Director Wayne Hale (we attended the same Aspen Executive course and have stayed in touch since), and NASA astronauts Charlie Precourt and Kent Rominger (who I worked closely with developing the NGC OmegA launch system). There were many other mutual colleagues (e.g., Jeff Ashby, Pam Melroy, Susan Helms, Ron Sega, Mike Griffin, Sean O’Keefe and many others.)
I greatly appreciated Collins’ “no agenda” narration of her experiences as an AF pilot and a NASA astronaut, including and especially when she made mistakes or didn’t perform up to her own expectations. Her description of her space sickness on her first flight (age 38), and her exhaustion and pain after her last flight (age 48) were particularly enlightening. The painstakingly detailed engineering & operations she conducted to command the “back-to-flight” mission STS-114 in 2005, more than 2-years after the Colombia disaster and 6-years after her last flight, was the ultimate “gut check” for anyone with any space or flight experience. Any way you look at it, this was an impressive command performance with lives and the future of the entire US space program on the line.
It’s clear she loved her family, the AF, the military, the NASA culture, and America - mistakes and all. Here here. A great, humble, no frills autobiography of a real “hand on the stick” American hero.
September 19, 2024
I have to admit I didn’t even know who Eileen Collins was until recently when I started looking into the artwork in the Enid area. The first time I ‘noticed’ her was because of a statue of her on our courthouse lawn that told of her being a graduate of Vance Air Force Base and the first woman to pilot a space shuttle.
Not too long after I had ‘studied’ this monument I heard she was coming to Enid to speak at a VAFB graduation as well as have a book signing. I was privileged to be able to meet her and visit with her at her book signing. As I visited with her, she was a person I immediately liked. She is articulate and kind. And as I observed her you could see that she was truly interested in kids and their interests in their futures.
Her book is very interesting and inspiring. Her love of her career and her easy writing style even makes me think I could be an astronaut, and I hate flying.
But not only is she an astronaut, she is a leader. She is a great communicator and I enjoyed reading about how she was able to maintain her level of professionalism and friendship with people throughout her career.
I was expecting something a little different when I started reading this. But it is definitely worth reading.
Not too long after I had ‘studied’ this monument I heard she was coming to Enid to speak at a VAFB graduation as well as have a book signing. I was privileged to be able to meet her and visit with her at her book signing. As I visited with her, she was a person I immediately liked. She is articulate and kind. And as I observed her you could see that she was truly interested in kids and their interests in their futures.
Her book is very interesting and inspiring. Her love of her career and her easy writing style even makes me think I could be an astronaut, and I hate flying.
But not only is she an astronaut, she is a leader. She is a great communicator and I enjoyed reading about how she was able to maintain her level of professionalism and friendship with people throughout her career.
I was expecting something a little different when I started reading this. But it is definitely worth reading.
July 29, 2021
Eileen Collins was obsessed with flying. Maybe it was an unusual preoccupation for a girl, but her parents – despite their struggles with mental illness and alcoholism – always encouraged her to pursue her own path. Despite a slow start, an unremarkable high school career, Eileen found her drive as she approached the end of her teens....and threw herself onto a path would take her to the US Air Force, and into Earth orbit, an accomplished pilot and well-respected mission commander. Through the Glass Ceiling to the Stars is the remarkable biography of a young woman who overcame the challenges of a difficult, mis-spent youth to become a pioneer in aviation, clearing the way for other women who wished to become military pilots...or even astronauts.
If anything marks Through the Glass Ceiling, it’s dogged hard work. Throughout, Collins takes on enormous workloads and commits herself to being The Best. In retaliation for wasting her high school years on pipe courses, Collins continually challenged herself every year thereafter. She never settled for less: when she realized that the Air Force held women to lower standards of fitness and physical performance than the men, she requested permission to train with the men – not willing to be anything less than she could be. These were not easy years for a woman to pursue a career in the armed forces, particularly the Air Force: not only did Collins experience campus hostility when she wore her ROTC uniform, but the Air Force had only recently opened pilot training to women, and even then it was scrupulously avoiding pilot assignments that would put women anywhere near a combat zone. That made navigating into NASA particularly challenging, because it required pilots to have fulfilled Test Pilot training, and that program’s requirements weren’t readily fulfilled by the support aircraft Collins was allowed to fly as a woman. But even if was just flying a transport, she’d be the best transport pilit imaginable – studying manuals to know her systems in and out, hanging out with the mechanics to absorb information that most pilots overlooked. As it happened, her time spent flying ‘trucks’ was excellent background for the shuttle program.
Getting into NASA when she did was an extraordinarily close thing, between fulling her service obligations to the Air Force and avoiding the age cut-off for the Test Pilot program. Collins’ commitment to excellence and unwavering hard work won her allies, people who realized she had what it took to make go further – she had the right stuff. Collins was often given choice opportunities, like flying in an F-15. After joining NASA, she performed well in her first two missions as a shuttle pilot, and then became the first woman to command a shuttle mission: she was chosen to be the ‘first’ because NASA knew whatever the stress, Collins could handle it. It helped that she had moral support from other pioneers, like Sally Ride – the first American woman in space, and someone who knew the immense pressure Collins was under. Ride reached out to Collins both before her first shuttle mission, and before her first command. Collins also commanded the first Shuttle mission following the Columbia post-mortum: she carried not only her crew’s lives, but the future of the program on her shoulders.
Through the Glass Ceiling will rank as one of my favorite astronaut memoirs, though Collins offers more content than just a recap of her missions. Cognizant of her role as a pioneer – being the first woman to fly an F-15, for instance, or command a shuttle – she frequently offers lessons to the reader, and she doesn’t shy away from sharing her mistakes, either. She goes into considerable detail about all the various aspects of her career, which – to any reader fascinated by aviation – makes this a potluck of interesting planes and observations about the challenges of pushing them to the limit. This one is absolutely recommended, especially for parents who want to encourage their teens to go beyond what they think is possible.
If anything marks Through the Glass Ceiling, it’s dogged hard work. Throughout, Collins takes on enormous workloads and commits herself to being The Best. In retaliation for wasting her high school years on pipe courses, Collins continually challenged herself every year thereafter. She never settled for less: when she realized that the Air Force held women to lower standards of fitness and physical performance than the men, she requested permission to train with the men – not willing to be anything less than she could be. These were not easy years for a woman to pursue a career in the armed forces, particularly the Air Force: not only did Collins experience campus hostility when she wore her ROTC uniform, but the Air Force had only recently opened pilot training to women, and even then it was scrupulously avoiding pilot assignments that would put women anywhere near a combat zone. That made navigating into NASA particularly challenging, because it required pilots to have fulfilled Test Pilot training, and that program’s requirements weren’t readily fulfilled by the support aircraft Collins was allowed to fly as a woman. But even if was just flying a transport, she’d be the best transport pilit imaginable – studying manuals to know her systems in and out, hanging out with the mechanics to absorb information that most pilots overlooked. As it happened, her time spent flying ‘trucks’ was excellent background for the shuttle program.
Getting into NASA when she did was an extraordinarily close thing, between fulling her service obligations to the Air Force and avoiding the age cut-off for the Test Pilot program. Collins’ commitment to excellence and unwavering hard work won her allies, people who realized she had what it took to make go further – she had the right stuff. Collins was often given choice opportunities, like flying in an F-15. After joining NASA, she performed well in her first two missions as a shuttle pilot, and then became the first woman to command a shuttle mission: she was chosen to be the ‘first’ because NASA knew whatever the stress, Collins could handle it. It helped that she had moral support from other pioneers, like Sally Ride – the first American woman in space, and someone who knew the immense pressure Collins was under. Ride reached out to Collins both before her first shuttle mission, and before her first command. Collins also commanded the first Shuttle mission following the Columbia post-mortum: she carried not only her crew’s lives, but the future of the program on her shoulders.
Through the Glass Ceiling will rank as one of my favorite astronaut memoirs, though Collins offers more content than just a recap of her missions. Cognizant of her role as a pioneer – being the first woman to fly an F-15, for instance, or command a shuttle – she frequently offers lessons to the reader, and she doesn’t shy away from sharing her mistakes, either. She goes into considerable detail about all the various aspects of her career, which – to any reader fascinated by aviation – makes this a potluck of interesting planes and observations about the challenges of pushing them to the limit. This one is absolutely recommended, especially for parents who want to encourage their teens to go beyond what they think is possible.
July 25, 2022
I bought this book because I was in a panel with Eileen a few months ago at the WAI conference. Needed to finally read it since I’ll see her again here at oshkosh.
Key take aways:
Importance of summer camp and libraries
Getting to know the wives at Pilot training
Apply maintain aircraft control… to life
Set the control instruments then brood check the performance instruments then repeat… apply to everyday life because not everything is in your control and you’ll get in a PIO chasing things
“She works harder than I do, the families need the commander’s wife”
Test pilots wrote the rules. Operational pilots follow the rules.
Only worry about the stuff you can control.
When you’re in a leadership position, you don’t always see the cultural problems. You have to seek them out.
Listening, creativity, humility = disciplined teams
Key take aways:
Importance of summer camp and libraries
Getting to know the wives at Pilot training
Apply maintain aircraft control… to life
Set the control instruments then brood check the performance instruments then repeat… apply to everyday life because not everything is in your control and you’ll get in a PIO chasing things
“She works harder than I do, the families need the commander’s wife”
Test pilots wrote the rules. Operational pilots follow the rules.
Only worry about the stuff you can control.
When you’re in a leadership position, you don’t always see the cultural problems. You have to seek them out.
Listening, creativity, humility = disciplined teams
September 9, 2021
I received an ARC of this book from NetGalley in exchange for my honest review.
All opinions are my own.
4.5 stars
This is a well-written, interesting autobiography of an extraordinary woman. I really enjoyed the more technical descriptions of the space shuttle missions and the Air Force planes. I also found the chapter on the organizational culture at NASA to be incredibly relevant to my own life, and I got a lot out of her thoughts on that topic (since they mostly mirror my own!).
I highly recommend this book, although I will say I think it may be a little too science-y for some people.
Thank you to NetGalley and Skyhorse Publishing for the ARC!
All opinions are my own.
4.5 stars
This is a well-written, interesting autobiography of an extraordinary woman. I really enjoyed the more technical descriptions of the space shuttle missions and the Air Force planes. I also found the chapter on the organizational culture at NASA to be incredibly relevant to my own life, and I got a lot out of her thoughts on that topic (since they mostly mirror my own!).
I highly recommend this book, although I will say I think it may be a little too science-y for some people.
Thank you to NetGalley and Skyhorse Publishing for the ARC!
March 2, 2025
I love reading memoirs and books about astronauts. Commander Collins wrote a wonderful memoir about her journey as a test pilot through her two trips to space as pilot and commander. I am not an engineer or scientist, but I love the way that NASA and their astronauts approach problems and life with dedication, focus on one problem at a time, and relentless training for all possibilities. In another life I would have been an astronaut and loved every minute of it.
December 10, 2021
Interesting, felt a bit like sci-fi but without the fiction.
April 14, 2022
Fucking amaziiiiiiiiiiiiing!
March 6, 2025
1st time. Read.
December 31, 2022
I'm fascinated by astronaut autobiographies. I always learn unexpected things. Collins is a remarkable woman and I enjoyed learning about her life.
September 10, 2025
Reads a bit like a lecture mixed with memoir, but that’s exactly what I wanted from her. Great read about perseverance, commitment, grit, and sacrifices needed to achieve astronomical dreams.
January 29, 2022
Am amazing career by an amazing woman!
Beautiful story about passion, effort, patience and focus. Would love to read her story when I was young 😃 Thanks for the ride!
Beautiful story about passion, effort, patience and focus. Would love to read her story when I was young 😃 Thanks for the ride!
February 19, 2023
A good, interesting read, but the author's blind patriotism and faith felt dated to me. I appreciate her sharing her experience and her values, but especially in recent years, it has become clear that the "American dream" is no longer as achievable as it was when the author grew up. To profess blind faith in "America is the best country in the world" feels like an idea from the 1990s, not the 2020s. Although I guess presenting both the past and present sides of the story would've made this a much longer book!
Another discussion point I'll be bringing to my book club is how the author did set precedents and break barriers, but so often did this from within the status quo. She even mentions not wanting to rock the boat at one point in the book. This reminds me of the observation that white women are more likely to be passive feminists, achieving as much as they can without rocking the boat too much. We as white women need to be more active feminists - breaking norms and making achievements in ways that make it easier for other women to join and follow us. Working within the patriarchy because it works for us (as it did for the author) does not help others who do not fit with the patriarchical expectations.
I did enjoy the book! It was well written and I loved the technical explanations of different planes, flight procedures, and shuttle missions. However, I have a lot of criticisms regarding the feminism that the title "through the glass ceiling" seems to represent.
Another discussion point I'll be bringing to my book club is how the author did set precedents and break barriers, but so often did this from within the status quo. She even mentions not wanting to rock the boat at one point in the book. This reminds me of the observation that white women are more likely to be passive feminists, achieving as much as they can without rocking the boat too much. We as white women need to be more active feminists - breaking norms and making achievements in ways that make it easier for other women to join and follow us. Working within the patriarchy because it works for us (as it did for the author) does not help others who do not fit with the patriarchical expectations.
I did enjoy the book! It was well written and I loved the technical explanations of different planes, flight procedures, and shuttle missions. However, I have a lot of criticisms regarding the feminism that the title "through the glass ceiling" seems to represent.
July 29, 2021
This is the story of Eileen Collins, and the incredible accomplishments and achievements throughout her life. Her story goes from childhood through her career in NASA. During this time she had many accomplishments, including being the first female pilot at NASA as well as first female commander.
Honestly, her life really is incredible. Reading this book really gave me an idea of what it takes to become an astronaut. I had no idea of the rigors of being a pilot in the Air Force. She details much of her early career; and I was blown away by the skill, technical knowledge, and commitment that is required. Just to make it to the stage she did in the Air Force is exceptional. You learn so much reading the book; but be warned, it made me feel like a low performing couch potato in comparison. She does touch on what it was like being a women several times throughout the book, although she doesn't spend a lot of time on it. I got the feeling that she knew many aspects were unfair, but she had her sights on something and wasn't going to dwell on it. I kind of wish she had explored the topic more rather than with so much brevity. From her book:
"I find it crazy that the first woman pilot and commander was me. How in the world did that happen? As a young girl with no special talents, someone who stuttered and was painfully shy, I empowered my aspirations to become real through my decisions and work ethic"
I will say, some of the writing seems fairly methodical. It isn't the beautiful writing of James Herriott for example. In the book she talks about writing up reports, and in some way I think the book feels a little like a report on her life. While there are pages and pages talking about an airplane, more personal things or events that seem like they would warrant more introspection and only told in one sentence which feels dropped into the story without warning and then abandoned. While the book is incredible interesting and fact packed, I think it would have benefited from more depth of personal experience. She did have one beautiful description that really stuck with me:
"When separated from Earth, you become even more attuned to Earth. Your love for your home planet grows, and you're filled with a desire to take care of this wonderful place. When you look the other direction and see the absolute blackness of space, you realize there are no other planets we could ever hope to reach that are even remotely like ours"
Overall, I really enjoyed this book. If you are interested in space, flying, or remarkable people I would highly recommend
Thanks to NetGalley for my ARC.
Honestly, her life really is incredible. Reading this book really gave me an idea of what it takes to become an astronaut. I had no idea of the rigors of being a pilot in the Air Force. She details much of her early career; and I was blown away by the skill, technical knowledge, and commitment that is required. Just to make it to the stage she did in the Air Force is exceptional. You learn so much reading the book; but be warned, it made me feel like a low performing couch potato in comparison. She does touch on what it was like being a women several times throughout the book, although she doesn't spend a lot of time on it. I got the feeling that she knew many aspects were unfair, but she had her sights on something and wasn't going to dwell on it. I kind of wish she had explored the topic more rather than with so much brevity. From her book:
"I find it crazy that the first woman pilot and commander was me. How in the world did that happen? As a young girl with no special talents, someone who stuttered and was painfully shy, I empowered my aspirations to become real through my decisions and work ethic"
I will say, some of the writing seems fairly methodical. It isn't the beautiful writing of James Herriott for example. In the book she talks about writing up reports, and in some way I think the book feels a little like a report on her life. While there are pages and pages talking about an airplane, more personal things or events that seem like they would warrant more introspection and only told in one sentence which feels dropped into the story without warning and then abandoned. While the book is incredible interesting and fact packed, I think it would have benefited from more depth of personal experience. She did have one beautiful description that really stuck with me:
"When separated from Earth, you become even more attuned to Earth. Your love for your home planet grows, and you're filled with a desire to take care of this wonderful place. When you look the other direction and see the absolute blackness of space, you realize there are no other planets we could ever hope to reach that are even remotely like ours"
Overall, I really enjoyed this book. If you are interested in space, flying, or remarkable people I would highly recommend
Thanks to NetGalley for my ARC.
May 9, 2024
I thought this book was super interesting and very fun to read! It’s amazing how Eileen M. Collins can remember everything with such detail. I had a great time reading this and I would definitely recommend this book to anyone who would like to read or know more about women's history and or airplanes, NASA, ect.
In this book, she not only said a lot about herself and her journey to become the first American woman to command a space mission, but she said a lot about others (like her husband and some other people she met and knew) and different aircrafts she saw and flew (a lot about the T-38).
This book was so much fun to read, especially because she showed pictures on some pages of her when she was younger, her collage photos, friends and family, and more. She also explained who was in them and told more about each one!
There are 368 pages in this book.
Here is a pitch I wrote on this book for school:
Today I am making a deep book pitch for a book I want to read called Through the Glass Ceiling to the Stars by Eileen Collins and Jonathan H. Ward. Here is what it is about: Through the Glass Ceiling to the Stars is a memoir of the first woman to command the American Space Mission, along with other achievements by Eileen Collins. The story talks about her journey from her young years to achieving her dreams and being an inspiration for women.
Life Changing: Reading this book will help me see that girls can do a lot more stuff than most people think they can. Reading this book will inspire me to try and be the inspiration of young girls so hopefully they will try to achieve their dreams just like I did. I feel good about this new self.
World Changing: The previously untold story of the largest search and recovery operation in US history won the 2018 Book of the Year award by the 20,000-member Space Hipsters.
Variety of Genres: This book's genres are Biography and Autobiography. One of the genres is not in the list of genres.
Substantive Duration: This book has 368 pages. I want to read 45 pages each week. I want to complete the book and the review some time in the fall before school starts.
Diverse Perspectives: It is the perspective of an adult so I will have a perspective of a kid.
Challenging Perspectives: I can’t find a lexile level anywhere.
It has 257 words (counting these).
In this book, she not only said a lot about herself and her journey to become the first American woman to command a space mission, but she said a lot about others (like her husband and some other people she met and knew) and different aircrafts she saw and flew (a lot about the T-38).
This book was so much fun to read, especially because she showed pictures on some pages of her when she was younger, her collage photos, friends and family, and more. She also explained who was in them and told more about each one!
There are 368 pages in this book.
Here is a pitch I wrote on this book for school:
Today I am making a deep book pitch for a book I want to read called Through the Glass Ceiling to the Stars by Eileen Collins and Jonathan H. Ward. Here is what it is about: Through the Glass Ceiling to the Stars is a memoir of the first woman to command the American Space Mission, along with other achievements by Eileen Collins. The story talks about her journey from her young years to achieving her dreams and being an inspiration for women.
Life Changing: Reading this book will help me see that girls can do a lot more stuff than most people think they can. Reading this book will inspire me to try and be the inspiration of young girls so hopefully they will try to achieve their dreams just like I did. I feel good about this new self.
World Changing: The previously untold story of the largest search and recovery operation in US history won the 2018 Book of the Year award by the 20,000-member Space Hipsters.
Variety of Genres: This book's genres are Biography and Autobiography. One of the genres is not in the list of genres.
Substantive Duration: This book has 368 pages. I want to read 45 pages each week. I want to complete the book and the review some time in the fall before school starts.
Diverse Perspectives: It is the perspective of an adult so I will have a perspective of a kid.
Challenging Perspectives: I can’t find a lexile level anywhere.
It has 257 words (counting these).
October 2, 2023
2023 Review 82. Through the Glass Ceiling to the Stars by Colonel Eileen M. Collins and Jonathan H. Ward, narrated by Molly Secours
Audiobook duration : 11 hours 9 minutes
While I found this book interesting as it went into detail about Eileen's early life and Air Force career as well as her career and training as an astronaut, having seen numerous reviews about the narrator being awful, I didn't find her performance to be too bad UNTIL she started pronouncing NASA as NASSAU.....which began to get annoying.
While I am an aviation nut and don't mind learning about the aircraft the author flew during her career including T-38s, C-141s, but when it is an astronaut memoir I expect more than 6 chapters about her career as an astronaut.
When this book finally got to the author's career as an astronaut, I was hoping it would cover the space shuttle pilot training process in great detail but it didn't.
When it came to Eileen's first mission, I was hoping the launch process would have been covered but it literally had the crew strapping into their seats and then the shuttle was in orbit.
Each chapter of this book has multiple different sub sections and the author doesn't spend a lot of time on each part. In chapter 10 which details Eileen's first mission the subject changes so much during the 70 minute chapter that I lost track.
I knocked 1 star off the rating for the narrator's performance, 1 star off for the amount of time that didn't focus on the authors astronaut career and 1 star for the number of subject changes during each chapter and for the lack of detail about the astronaut training process and space shuttle flights.
My 2* rating has nothing to do with Eileen Collins career or accomplishments in the space shuttle, but is all to do with the book itself as it jumps around subjects too much during the chapters.
This would have been my 12th book finished during the #greatspaceread if I had finished it before the end of July.
I will definitely not be listening to this book again and will return it as soon as I can to get my credit back.
2*
**
Audiobook duration : 11 hours 9 minutes
While I found this book interesting as it went into detail about Eileen's early life and Air Force career as well as her career and training as an astronaut, having seen numerous reviews about the narrator being awful, I didn't find her performance to be too bad UNTIL she started pronouncing NASA as NASSAU.....which began to get annoying.
While I am an aviation nut and don't mind learning about the aircraft the author flew during her career including T-38s, C-141s, but when it is an astronaut memoir I expect more than 6 chapters about her career as an astronaut.
When this book finally got to the author's career as an astronaut, I was hoping it would cover the space shuttle pilot training process in great detail but it didn't.
When it came to Eileen's first mission, I was hoping the launch process would have been covered but it literally had the crew strapping into their seats and then the shuttle was in orbit.
Each chapter of this book has multiple different sub sections and the author doesn't spend a lot of time on each part. In chapter 10 which details Eileen's first mission the subject changes so much during the 70 minute chapter that I lost track.
I knocked 1 star off the rating for the narrator's performance, 1 star off for the amount of time that didn't focus on the authors astronaut career and 1 star for the number of subject changes during each chapter and for the lack of detail about the astronaut training process and space shuttle flights.
My 2* rating has nothing to do with Eileen Collins career or accomplishments in the space shuttle, but is all to do with the book itself as it jumps around subjects too much during the chapters.
This would have been my 12th book finished during the #greatspaceread if I had finished it before the end of July.
I will definitely not be listening to this book again and will return it as soon as I can to get my credit back.
2*
**
October 21, 2021
For more reviews and bookish posts please visit: https://www.ManOfLaBook.com or https://www.instagram.com/manoflabook/
Through the Glass Ceiling to the Stars: The Story of the First American Woman to Command a Space Mission by Eileen M. Collins and Jonathan H. Ward is a biography of this pioneer pilot and astronaut. Col. Collins is one of the more famous pioneers in aviation, this is her first book.
I heard of Col. Collins previously, and was anxious to read her long awaited memoir. Through the Glass Ceiling to the Stars: The Story of the First American Woman to Command a Space Mission by Eileen M. Collins and Jonathan H. Ward undoubtedly did not disappoint.
Without a doubt, Col. Collins lived an amazing life, and still does. She had a career which, undoubtedly, many of us can only dream of, but a pioneer who will be forever in the history books as well.
The author tells of her childhood in Elmira, NY, her military career in the US Air Force, being a test pilot, and of course her time in NASA too. I furthermore enjoyed all the little anecdotes which are memorable in anyone’s life.
Her time as a pilot, test pilot, as well as astronaut (pilot and commander) are the majority of the book. The author doesn’t dwell on the nuances of her roles, important but not as exciting, in between missions. She makes sure to concentrate on the valuable lessons she has learned, as well as the excellent advice she is qualified to give.
The book is certainly easy to read, without much technical jargon, a la First Man. I enjoyed reading further about Col Collins’ journey to become an astronaut. It took time, planning, patience, and resilience. While there are many lessons in this book, this is the one that I think will stick with me.
It is obvious that the book is written with leadership lessons in mind. Most likely for Col Collins to reinvent herself as a public speaker on this subject. Altogether, I think that’s fantastic, we need persons like her to reach out to the community to share their experiences and what they learned.
Through the Glass Ceiling to the Stars: The Story of the First American Woman to Command a Space Mission by Eileen M. Collins and Jonathan H. Ward is a biography of this pioneer pilot and astronaut. Col. Collins is one of the more famous pioneers in aviation, this is her first book.
I heard of Col. Collins previously, and was anxious to read her long awaited memoir. Through the Glass Ceiling to the Stars: The Story of the First American Woman to Command a Space Mission by Eileen M. Collins and Jonathan H. Ward undoubtedly did not disappoint.
Without a doubt, Col. Collins lived an amazing life, and still does. She had a career which, undoubtedly, many of us can only dream of, but a pioneer who will be forever in the history books as well.
The author tells of her childhood in Elmira, NY, her military career in the US Air Force, being a test pilot, and of course her time in NASA too. I furthermore enjoyed all the little anecdotes which are memorable in anyone’s life.
Her time as a pilot, test pilot, as well as astronaut (pilot and commander) are the majority of the book. The author doesn’t dwell on the nuances of her roles, important but not as exciting, in between missions. She makes sure to concentrate on the valuable lessons she has learned, as well as the excellent advice she is qualified to give.
The book is certainly easy to read, without much technical jargon, a la First Man. I enjoyed reading further about Col Collins’ journey to become an astronaut. It took time, planning, patience, and resilience. While there are many lessons in this book, this is the one that I think will stick with me.
It is obvious that the book is written with leadership lessons in mind. Most likely for Col Collins to reinvent herself as a public speaker on this subject. Altogether, I think that’s fantastic, we need persons like her to reach out to the community to share their experiences and what they learned.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 127 reviews