She started flying in high school where she had a month off during her senior year and completed training to become a private pilot.

She received her master of science degree in aerospace engineering from Georgia Institute of Technology in 1985.

During her time in graduate school she worked as a Wind Tunnel Project Officer for Lockheed Corporation.

[1][3] With the space historian Francis French, Kilrain co-authored a children's book named An Unlikely Astronaut.

Later she flew EA-6A Electric Intruders for Tactical Electronic Warfare Squadron 33 (VAQ-33) in Key West, Florida.

The group was selected to provide pilots, engineers, and astronauts for space shuttle flights.

After a year of training, she worked on technical issues for the Vehicle Systems and Operations Branch of the Astronaut Office.

The goal of this mission was to test hardware, facilities, and procedures being developed in views of he long term research program on the future International Space Station.

The mission, which was supposed to last 16 days was cut short because of problems with one of the Shuttle's three fuel cell power generation units.

Mission duration was 95 hours and 12 minutes, traveling 1.5 million miles in 63 orbits of the Earth.