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

The rockets light! The shuttle leaps off the launch pad in a cloud of steam and a trail of fire.

Science is fun. Science is curiosity. We all have natural curiosity. Science is a process of investigating. It's posing questions and coming up with a method. It's delving in.

But when I wasn't working, I was usually at a window looking down at Earth.

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

So most astronauts are astronauts for a couple of years before they are assigned to a flight.

You know, I go around the country a lot.