Everyone who's been in space would, I'm sure, welcome the opportunity for a return to the exhilarating experiences there.

Mars is there, waiting to be reached.

Human rights problems will always exist for years to come, but maybe they'll lessen somewhat.

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.

Is the destiny of the human species to sit back and play with our mouse and computer and imagine, fantasize?

By venturing into space, we improve life for everyone here on Earth - scientific advances and innovations that come from this kind of research create products we use in our daily lives.

As a youngster, I read of Buck Rogers and Flash Gordon. As a student, I wrote English reports on science fiction. And as a fighter pilot, I observed the selection of the Mercury astronauts. All this was fascinating, but I really didn't think I would ever be a part of it. It was only when my good friend Ed White was selected as a Gemini astronaut that I decided to join NASA as part of the Apollo program.