It's easy to sleep floating around - it's very comfortable. But you have to be careful that you don't float into somebody or something!

I did not come to NASA to make history.

My background is in physics, so I was the mission specialist, who is sort of like the flight engineer on an airplane.

No, I think most astronauts recognize that the space shuttle program is very high-risk, and are prepared for accidents.

I don't have any nicknames.

Because I was a tennis player, Billie Jean King was a hero of mine.

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.