As we reflect back upon the tragic loss of Challenger and her brave crew of heroes who were aboard that fateful day, I am reminded that they truly represented the best of us, as they climbed aloft on a plume of propellant gasses, reaching for the stars, to inspire us who were Earthbound.

My family has always supported my activities, whether it was doing combat in Korea, flying progressively and challenging fighter-jet aircraft in Europe, or studying for a doctor's degree at MIT. They have been always very supportive and understanding of the challenges and risks involved in my career. A family needs to work as a team, supporting each other's individual aims and aspirations.

Every couple of years, we could dispatch people from Earth to Mars.

I came to dedicate my life to opening space to the average person and crafting designs for new spaceships that could take us far from home. But since Apollo ended, such travels were only in our collective memory.

Kids, help your parents if they don't know how to use a smartphone.

Weve got to go [back to the moon]. But we dont want to stay too long. ... The ultimate goal is Mars.

Space is not just going up and coming back down again. Space is getting into orbit and being there, living there, establishing a presence, a permanence.