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

NASA has to approve whatever we wear, so there are clothes to choose from, like space shorts - we wear those a lot - and NASA T-shirts.

It was hard to become an astronaut. Not anywhere near as much physical training as people imagine, but a lot of mental training, a lot of learning. You have to learn everything there is to know about the Space Shuttle and everything you are going to be doing, and everything you need to know if something goes wrong, and then once you have learned it all, you have to practice, practice, practice, practice, practice, practice, practice until everything is second nature, so it's a very, very difficult training, and it takes years.

I've discovered that half the people would love to go into space and there's no need to explain it to them. The other half can't understand and I couldn't explain it to them. If someone doesn't know why, I can't explain it.

I felt very honored, and I knew that people would be watching very closely, and I felt it was very, very important that I do a good job.

If we want scientists and engineers in the future, we should be cultivating the girls as much as the boys.

I have been a bit of a risk-taker all my life.