I Have Been A Bit Of A

I Do A Lot Of Running And Hiking, And I Also Collect Stamps - Space Stamps And Olympics Stamps.

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 Fact That I Was Going To Be The First American Woman To Go Into Space Carried Huge Expectations Along With It.

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.

Rocket Science Is Tough, And Rockets Have A Way Of Failing.