We are involved in technology development for, you know, missions that we hope to plan that would take us to an asteroid and eventually to Mars.

Education is what allows you to stand out

It's fun to work the robotic arm in part because it's really a team effort.

Usually, girls weren't encouraged to go to college and major in math and science. My high school calculus teacher, Ms. Paz Jensen, made math appealing and motivated me to continue studying it in college.

What everyone in the astronaut corps shares in common is not gender or ethnic background, but motivation, perseverance, and desire - the desire to participate in a voyage of discovery.

That's what we want to do here at Johnson Space Center. I think what we have always brought to NASA and brought to the country is trying to push the boundaries, trying to go to the next level.

I don't know of any issues associated with alcohol before flight.