I wanted to be a professional dancer for a period of time, and I did a lot of dancing and choreography and got paid for it.
I went to school at night in L.A. to brush up on my engineering while I applied to the astronaut program. I really did not know if I would get in. It was the year after the Challenger accident in 1987.
Some people say they feel very small when they think about space. I felt more expansive, very connected to the universe.
As an astronaut, you have a very defined set of tasks to do. Those tasks may require you to work 60, 70 or 80 hours a week.
Some of the most fun people I know are scientists.
In space, you need to exercise your heart since it's not pumping blood around at the same rate.
In fourth grade, I was interested in all areas of science. I particularly loved learning about how the earth was created.
One Hundred Year Starship really is about the idea that is we pursue an extraordinary tomorrow; we'll build a better world today.
You have to actually be weighted to something to do the moonwalk, you know.
I was thinking as a little girl growing up that I would be there. When I look at whether we can go to Mars, it's definitely something we can do.
When I was growing up as a little girl and as a teenager, I loved designing and making dogs' clothes and wanting to be a fashion designer. I took art and ceramics. I loved dance.
What I'm very concerned about is how do we bolster our self-awareness as humans, as biological organisms?
The fact we don't have a lunar base has nothing to do with the technology. It has to do with public commitment and societal support.
I think we know how to do Mars.
The reality is the majority of us will not get off this planet. So the long run is, some kind of space exploration has to benefit us here on Earth.
Everyone in the astronaut program has a degree in a science field. The crew are the ones who do the experiments, help to design some of the experiments that come from other primary researchers. So it becomes very important that you have a science background.
The drills we do, where you're telling kids to memorize things, don't actually work. What works is engaging them and letting them do things and discover things.
I believe the biggest impediment we have right now with going to Mars is public commitment. More people need to see themselves as a part of space travel; we need to see more inclusiveness.
I'm not somebody who gets teared up or anything, but I still look up at the stars, and it gives me hope, and it gives me energy. I think one of the things that we have to think about it is, we are all a part of this universe.
