For a long time, society put obstacles in the way of women who wanted to enter the sciences.

I don't have any nicknames.

I think maybe it's too bad that our society isn't further along and this is such a big deal. I think it's time...that people realize that women in this country can do any job they want to do.

My background is in physics, so I was the mission specialist, who is sort of like the flight engineer on an airplane.

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.

The fact that I was going to be the first American woman to go into space carried huge expectations along with it.

But even in elementary school and junior high, I was very interested in space and in the space program.