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!
Sally RideNo, I think most astronauts recognize that the space shuttle program is very high-risk, and are prepared for accidents.
Sally RideOnce 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.
Sally RideSo most astronauts getting ready to lift off are excited and very anxious and worried about that explosion - because if something goes wrong in the first seconds of launch, there's not very much you can do.
Sally RideIt's well known that many girls have a tendency to dumb down when they're in middle school.
Sally RideThe 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.
Sally Ride