I was always very interested in science, and I knew that for me, science was a better long-term career than tennis.

It's well known that many girls have a tendency to dumb down when they're in middle school.

Even though NASA tries to simulate launch, and we practice in simulators, it's not the same - it's not even close to the same.

Eventually private enterprise will be able to send people into orbit, but I suspect initially it's going to have to be with NASA's help. Whether it's going to be a consortium or one entity remains to be seen. I could be wrong. I could be one of the old fogies! Rocket science is tough, and rockets have a way of failing. It happens. A company has to be willing to bear the risk of its rocket failing. It's a very large capital investment.

I find myself looking around for other new, interesting opportunities to dive into.

I didn't really decide that I wanted to be an astronaut for sure until the end of college.

Studying whether there's life on Mars or studying how the universe began, there's something magical about pushing back the frontiers of knowledge. That's something that is almost part of being human, and I'm certain that will continue.