The year 2005 brought astronaut Eileen Collins to soaring heights. In 1999, she became the first woman Commander of a NASA space shuttle flight. This year, from July 26 to August 9, Commander Collins led space shuttle Discovery on its important mission.

Discovery marked NASA's return to flight. Before Discovery's launch, the space shuttle program was grounded for 2 1/2 years. The previous shuttle mission, Columbia, came to a tragic end after it broke apart just as it was about to land back on earth. All seven astronauts on board were killed.

Safety concerns delayed this year's launch, but once airborne, Discovery's trip lasted two weeks. Their route took Collins and her crew of five men and one other woman 5.8 million miles. That's enough distance to circle around the earth 219 times! During the mission, Discovery docked at the International Space Station to deliver supplies. The crew also tested new procedures designed to make future flights safer.

Discovery's crew performed three space walks, including one to check the shuttle for damage. To do this, Collins had to maneuver the ship into a back flip so that cameras could take pictures of the bottom of the shuttle. The pictures were sent to NASA engineers for further study. When bad weather made it impossible to land, Collins kept Discovery in the air for an extra day before safely bringing the shuttle home.

Collins, 49, was born in Elmira, New York. She dreamed of becoming a pilot from a young age. Now a wife and mother, Collins enjoys golf, photography and camping.

For being the first female space shuttle commander and for safely and successfully leading NASA's return to flight, Eileen Collins is a nominee for TFK Person of the Year.