Rocket Science Is Tough, And Rockets Have

Even Though Nasa Tries To Simulate Launch, And We Practice In Simulators, It's Not The Same - It's Not Even Close To The Same.

Three Secrets To Success: Be Willing To Learn New Things. Be Able To Assimilate New Information Quickly. Be Able To Get Along With And Work With Other People.

I Never Went Into Physics Or The Astronaut Corps To Become A Role Model. But After My First Flight, It Became Clear To Me That I Was One. And I Began To Understand The Importance Of That To People. Young Girls Need To See Role Models In Whatever Careers They May Choose, Just So They Can Picture Themselves Doing Those Jobs Someday. You Can't Be What You Can't See.

Yes, I Did Feel A Special Responsibility To Be The First American Woman In Space.

So Most Astronauts Getting Ready To Lift Off Are Excited And Very Anxious And Worried About That Explosion - Because If Something Goes Wrong In The First Seconds Of Launch, There's Not Very Much You Can Do.