July 27, 1999

Posted on July 27, 2013 by Joel Byers

On THIS DAY IN HISTORY on July 27th, 1999, the Space Shuttle Discovery landed at the Kennedy Space Center and made history as this was the first Space Shuttle mission with a woman commander, Air Force Colonel Eileen Collins. Immediately after landing, Pilot Jeffrey Ashby took over and parallel parked the shuttle at the landing bay due to insurance requirements after the unfortunate incidents that occurred during the 1995 and 1997 docking attempts with the MIR space station. Ms. Collins dented the right front fender on both docking attempts, as well as leaving paint and scratches on the MIR space station itself in 1995 and again in 1997. Due to these accidents and the subsequent points that were added to her Space Shuttle Driver’s License, she was required to take a Space Shuttle Driver’s Safety Course and she wouldn’t be allowed to drive the Shuttle once it touched down on Terra Firma until she got her completion certificate.

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About Joel Byers

Born in North Georgia and educated at some very fine public institutions. Real education started after graduating from college and then getting married and raising two boys. Has the ability to see the funny and absurd in most things and will always remark on it, even if it means getting the stink-eye from his victims.
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