I'm not as famous as Stephen Hawking, but certainly in the U.S., I have a very high profile for a scientist. It is an awesome responsibility, one that I don't shoulder lightly.

Passion is what gets you through the hardest times that might otherwise make strong men weak, or make you give up.

I like seeing how people have succeeded when others would have presumed they would have failed, and others just go along with whatever everyone else does.

Space enthusiasts are the most susceptible demographic to delusion that I have ever seen.

It'd be a shame to talk about the universe and not show some images of it, because we have some of the more stunning representations of our field relative to any of the sciences. But I don't use the imagery as a substitute for the insights and wisdom I can convey so that when you leave you say to yourself, "Wow, I'm a little more deeply connected to the universe, and I want to learn more."

If it's a new planet, sign me up. I'm tired of driving around the block, boldly going where hundreds have gone before in orbit around earth-give me a place to go and I'll go.

I love the future we might invent for ourselves that I have not yet dreamt of.