Nasa’s Space Shuttles, which flew for three decades, reached breathtaking highs, but also some terrible lows.
In 1986, the Challenger spacecraft suffered a catastrophic failure seconds after launching, killing all seven crew members on board.
And in 2003, the Columbia shuttle broke up in the skies over Texas at the end of its mission, killing its crew of seven as well.
A piece of insulating foam on Columbia’s fuel tank broke loose during launch, damaging the heat shield with devastating results.
Columbia was unable to withstand the fiery re-entry into the Earth’s atmosphere, disintegrating as the world watched on in horror.
Collins shakes her head at the memory of the disaster, and of the friends whose lives were lost.
But with her job as commander, she had to pick up the mantle – she was to be in charge of the shuttle’s following flight.
Did she think about quitting at that point?
“People throughout the shuttle programme were counting on the commander to stick with it,” she says quietly.
“I think quitting the mission would have been the opposite of brave… and I wanted to be a brave leader. I wanted to be a confident leader. I wanted to instill that confidence in other people.”
