Every decision you make, from what you eat to what you do with your time tonight, turns you into who you are tomorrow and the day after that.

Our three big emergencies are fire, loss of pressurization or contaminated atmosphere. Any of those things in a spaceship are very deadly and time critical. Everybody's trained, but I'm the commander of the ship, and it's up to me to decide.

I wasn’t destined to be an astronaut. I had to turn myself into one.

Do your homework in advance about the actual travel details so transportation issues do not define your holiday.

In any new situation, whether it involves an elevator or a rocket ship, you will almost certainly be viewed in one of three ways. As a minus one: actively harmful, someone who creates problems. Or as a zero: your impact is neutral and doesn't tip the balance one way or the other. Or you'll be seen as a plus one: someone who actively adds value. Everyone wants to be a plus one, of course. But proclaiming your plus-oneness at the outset almost guarantees you'll be perceived as a minus one, regardless of the skills you bring to the table or how you actually perform.

Spaceflight isn't just about doing experiments, it's about an extension of human culture.

Most budget airlines anywhere in the world are going to leave you dissatisfied after using them.