Through the Glass Ceiling to the Stars

The Story of the First American Woman to Command a Space Mission

By: Col. Eileen M. Collins USAF (Retired), Jonathan H. Ward

Narrated by: Molly Secours

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.

©2021 Eileen M. Collins and Jonathan H. Ward (P)2021 Tantor

Great book...

Really good to hear a true story of a great hero. The best books out there.

Great story

The story was very interesting. The only thing that really bothered me was the person reading it pronounced NASA wrong. She said it the same as Nassau, the capital of the Bahamas. I don’t know why it bothered me so much. Maybe the astronauts really pronounce it that way, but in 63 years, I’ve never heard that pronunciation. I also thought sometimes the editing wasn’t very good; there wasn’t a pause between unrelated subjects in some areas. But Col. Collins story is great! I think I might like reading the paper book more than the audiobook in this instance, I’m going to buy it.

Quite wonderful — except for "Nasau"!

A great read on many levels: memoir, mission details, perspective on leadership and teamwork, history, etc. I'm already buying copies for friends I know would enjoy it.

I read "Through the Glass Ceiling to the Stars" on the heels of Gene Krantz's "Failure is Not an Option," and worried nothing could compare. (If you've not read "Failure," read it!) But Eileen Collins's book does! And wonderfully so.

Before purchasing I did note the many Audible-review gripes about the reader pronouncing NASA as "Nasau," the capital of the Bahamas. I thought, "What's the big deal?"

Well—

It does grate after a while. "Nasau. Nasau. Nasau." Molly Secours does a great job except for that one word. Whoever directed the narration must have been out to lunch. "Nasau. Nasau. Nasau." S/he didn't notice?!?!? It's unbelievable and a little shocking.

That said, TTGC2TS is a great read and highly recommended!

Enjoy!

Great autobiography of a fascinating perso

Highly recommended! Colonel Collins participated in or led some of the greatest shuttle missions…rendezvous with Mir, deployment of the Chandra Observatory, first shuttle mission post-Columbia disaster. She has penned a thorough document about all of these adventures. Get our copy and share the exciting journey!

Book for everyone

I was a bit hesitant to listen to this book because I thought it might be all about accomplishments as a woman. But it was an amazing story with so many good lessons about leadership, hard work, perseverance, and NASA.

The reader mispronounced NASA (as well as a few other words) which was very annoying however the story was worth enduring. I’d encourage the publishers to re-record.