5 . Eileen Collins

Although she’s never walked on a runway with models in a fancy dress, Eileen Collins is referred to by many as “Miss Universe”. That’s because Collins (1956—   ) is an a    1     and NASA’s first female shuttle pilot and mission commander.

Until quite recently, this profession was one you’d only find men in. There seemed to be little p    2     of entry for females. For them, therefore, Collins is a pioneer(先锋).

In 1995, she piloted the Discovery shuttle during flight t    3     the Russian Space Station. Four years later, she headed a shuttle mission aboard Columbia.

Collins’ achievement is not something that happens o    4    . It takes years, even decades, of preparation. But to understand the roots of Collins’ love of piloting, we have to go back to her c    5    . Collins knew from a very young age that she belonged to the skies. She grew up in Elmira in New York State, a town with a significant flight history. The first US National Gliding Contest was h    6     there in 1930.

Collins’ passion was also helped by books on the Wright brothers. Starting at age 16, Collins took on small jobs and three years later, she had s    7     enough money to accomplish her dream of learning to fly. S    8     when the US Air Force opened its doors to female pilots in 1978, the young woman applied and started her t    9     as a military pilot. Her team described her as humble (谦卑的) despite all her achievements.

Her parents agree. “She is very down-to-earth. N    10     handed her anything. Everything she has today, she’s earned,” her mother said.