The way I see it, what is going to come out of the moon activities is a respect for U.S. leadership.

We need to have people up there who can communicate what it feels like, not just pilots and engineers.

We need the next generation to be motivated and to push technological boundaries, to seek out new innovations.

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.

I inherited depression from my mother's side of the family.

To move forward, what's required is a unified space agenda based on exploration, science, development, commerce, and security.

Trips to Mars, the Moon, even orbit, will require that we provide astrotourists with as many comforts from home as possible, including paying each other.