I've had a chance to fly a lot of different airplanes, but it was nothing like the shuttle ride.

"What's the next thing that's going to kill me?" is a mantra for pilots and astronauts.

For the last several years and culminating in six months in orbit next year, I've been training for my third space flight. This one is almost in a category completely different than the previous two, specifically to live in on the space station for six months, to command a space ship and to fly a new rocket ship.

Our role is to develop techniques that allow us to provide emergency life-saving procedures to injured patients in an extreme, remote environment without the presence of a physician.

The Moon has given us months, tides and a destination that ever-beckons. It's time we build a rocket and go to stay.

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

Don`t let life randomly kick you into the adult you don`t want to become