I Just Wanted To Be The First

It's A Very Sobering Feeling To Be Up In Space And Realize That One's Safety Factor Was Determined By The Lowest Bidder On A Government Contract.

The Excitement Really Didn't Start To Build Until The Trailer - Which Was Carrying Me, With A Space Suit With Ventilation And All That Sort Of Stuff - Pulled Up To The Launch Pad.

Roger, Liftoff, And The Clock Is Started.

I Think All Of Us Certainly Believed The Statistics Which Said That Probably 88% Chance Of Mission Success And Maybe 96% Chance Of Survival. And We Were Willing To Take Those Odds.

The Fact That Every Part Of This Ship Was Built By The Low Bidder.