Yes, I did feel a special responsibility to be the first American woman in space.

I love the John Glenn model... I may call NASA in 25 years or so, and see if they'd like to send me to Mars.

I've spent my whole life not talking to people, and I don't see why I should start now.

There are lots of opportunities out there for women to work in these fields, ... Girls just need support, encouragement and mentoring to follow through with the sciences.

The experience of being in space didn't change my perspective of myself or of the planet or of life. I had no spiritual experience.

We can see cities during the day and at night, and we can watch rivers dump sediment into the ocean, and see hurricanes form.

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.