Obviously I was challenged by becoming a Naval aviator, by landing aboard aircraft carriers and so on.

I can hit it farther on the moon. But actually, my swing is better here on Earth.

You may not have any extra talent, but maybe you are just paying more attention to what you are doing.

I just wanted to be the first one to fly for America, not because I'd end up in the pages of history books.

I think all of us certainly believed the statistics which said that probably 88% chance of mission success and maybe 96% chance of survival. And we were willing to take those odds.

The excitement really didn't start to build until the trailer - which was carrying me, with a space suit with ventilation and all that sort of stuff - pulled up to the launch pad.

But when I was selected, after my very first tour of squadron duty, to become one of the youngest candidates for the test pilot school, I began to realize, maybe you are a little bit better.