When the space shuttle's engines cut off, and you're finally in space, in orbit, weightless... I remember unstrapping from my seat, floating over to the window, and that's when I got my first view of Earth. Just a spectacular view, and a chance to see our planet as a planet.

I suggest taking the high road and have a little sence of humour and let things roll off your back. I think that's very important.

It's no secret that I've been reluctant to use my name for things.

Rocket science is tough, and rockets have a way of failing.

The most important steps that I followed were studying math and science in school. I was always interested in physics and astronomy and chemistry and I continued to study those subjects through high school and college on into graduate school. That's what prepared me for being an astronaut; it actually gave me the qualifications to be selected to be an astronaut.

Once you are assigned to a flight, the whole crew is assigned at the same time, and then that crew trains together for a whole year to prepare for that flight.

We can see cities during the day and at night, and we can watch rivers dump sediment into the ocean, and see hurricanes form.