It Takes A Couple Of Years Just

The Rockets Light! The Shuttle Leaps Off The Launch Pad In A Cloud Of Steam And A Trail Of Fire.

For Whatever Reason, I Didn't Succumb To The Stereotype That Science Wasn't For Girls. I Got Encouragement From My Parents. I Never Ran Into A Teacher Or A Counselor Who Told Me That Science Was For Boys. A Lot Of My Friends Did.

The View Of Earth Is Absolutely Spectacular, And The Feeling Of Looking Back And Seeing Your Planet As A Planet Is Just An Amazing Feeling. It's A Totally Different Perspective, And It Makes You Appreciate, Actually, How Fragile Our Existence Is.

When The Space Shuttle's Engines Cut Off, And You're Finally In Space, In Orbit, Weightless... I Remember Unstrapping From My Seat, Floating Over To The Window, And That's When I Got My First View Of Earth. Just A Spectacular View, And A Chance To See Our Planet As A Planet.

You Can Picture Pretty Easily If There Were A Paying Passenger Aboard A Rocket That Failed, Like Challenger Failed. Certainly It Would Be A Tragedy, And A Tragedy For The Company. They Would Have A Hard Time Recovering From It.