Eileen Collins

Eileen Collins soared where few men, and even fewer women, had gone before. A decorated Air Force pilot, she made history not once, but twice, becoming the first woman to pilot a Space Shuttle mission (STS-63, 1995) and the first to command one (STS-93, 1999). For good measure, she commanded another mission (STS-114, 2005) to test new safety procedures after the Columbia disaster.

While her achievements are undeniably stellar, pushing the boundaries of human exploration and inspiring a generation, her personal background doesn't exactly scream "kvell-worthy" in the traditional Jewish sense. Born to Irish Catholic parents in Elmira, New York, her journey into the cosmos was, by all accounts, a thoroughly gentile affair.

So, while we applaud her courage, skill, and groundbreaking career that shattered glass ceilings far above the Earth's atmosphere, her connection to the tribe remains, shall we say, tangential. Perhaps a future mission could involve a kosher deli run on the International Space Station, but until then, we'll just admire her from afar.