Leveling the NASA Playing Field 

　　"Another giant leap for womankind，" declared Health and Human Services Secretary Donna Shalala in anticipation of the first U.S. space mission commanded by a woman. The Cabinet Secretary， an advocate of women's issues， was paraphrasing the famous comment of Apollo ll's Neil Armstrong as man first stepped onto the moon. Just several days after the 30th anniversary of that moment and with space shuttle Columbia just successfully launched， women believe that history has been made. 

　　"This is a significant moment in women's history， but also in American history，" said Shalala. This is about "the breakthroughs of the future." Shalala， a participant at a by-invitation-only women's conference of just over 100 women sponsored by NASA on the eve of the shuttle Columbia launch， was referring to the fact that up until now， a woman had not commanded a mission into space. Col.Eileen Collins will now be written into the history books. 

　　"She has the right stuff，" Shalala said. "And having the right stuff is not something that is exclusive to one chromosome or another." 

　　Chromosomes Do Not Matter 

　　With this shuttle mission just launched and the playing field now nearly level，women involved in the National Aeronautics and Space Administration （NASA） program are now focusing on continuing to do more to keep the field permanently level. 

　　"This was the last astronaut job that was not （yet） done by a woman，" said Ellen Ochoa， the first Hispanic woman in space and a member of the President's Commission on the Celebration of Women in American History. "Now with this milestone we can focus on the fact that what is important to succeed in life， it does not matter whether you are a man or a woman." 

　　"It does not matter （that Collins is a man or a woman），" said Kathryn Sullivan， the first American woman to walk in space. "She earned her seat." 

　　"I am so excited （about this mission），" said National Organization for Women President Patricia Ireland. "For years the space program was not open to women." 

　　"We have come a long way，" acknowledged Sally Ride， the first American woman in space. "Since Kathryn （Sullivan） and Ijoined the （space） program， a lot more women have gotten involved." Still， Ride admitted， "the battle is never over." 

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