Most kids probably dream of becoming an astronaut. I was just the one that never grew out of it.
I have truly been inspired by the struggle and triumphs of so many women that dare to break new ground in all aspects of society, and those who have pushed the boundaries of human imagination.
Outside of my family, I was always inspired by true heroic stories of leadership and survival. For example, the story of the Shackleton expedition, when their ship became lodged in the Antarctic ice pack while exploring.
I've always been into things like exploring and science on the frontiers. I had pictures of space up in my room way back in middle school, right next to the boy band posters!
While you're in space, you grow in height! Without the constant force of gravity on your spine, it stretches out, and you're actually taller when you land. It doesn't last long though.
All astronauts, even civilians like me without pilot experience, have to learn how to co-pilot a jet called a T-38.
We always had National Geographic and Astronomy magazines and Popular Mechanics lying around the house. I got interested in exploration and different parts of the world and different parts of the universe just from seeing those things around the house and the different discussions we had as a family.
When I was at the South Pole, the coldest it got - and I didn’t go outside - was minus 111. That was during the winter, so it’s dark 24 hours a day, and for some of our jobs, we are required to go outside, even in weather like that.
To see the Earth below you when we could take a break... to appreciate the environment around us was very special.
We work together as a team. And between us and between the crew and our teams on the ground, we don't look at gender, and we don't see it as a barrier.
So here in space, obviously, in microgravity, we have to use our hands to get ourselves around, to float around the modules, because our feet, we don't necessarily walk around, we just grab hand holds and move ourselves around, which means that we need our hands free to do just that.
I invented an algorithm for starting micro turbo-molecular vacuum pumps to be used in science instruments on a future Mars rover.
I’ve done work wearing full cold-weather gear hanging off of scientific towers in the Antarctic and the Arctic. Having to actually do small, delicate tasks on scientific equipment while you have no dexterity or tactile feedback is something that’s very transferrable.
My mom studied biology and my dad studied chemistry and some physics and he is a physician, but he had a very strong interest in astronomy and astrophysics and exploration in general.
To do things that are as complicated and challenging as spaceflight, you have to have all disciplines represented to get the job done.
