Sally Ride Space Quotations

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

After the Challenger accident, NASA put in a lot of time to improve the safety of the space shuttle to fix the things that had gone wrong.

On a standard space shuttle crew, two of the astronauts have a test pilot background - the commander and the pilot.

When you're getting ready to launch into space, you're sitting on a big explosion waiting to happen.

Yes, I did feel a special responsibility to be the first American woman in space.

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

No, I think most astronauts recognize that the space shuttle program is very high-risk, and are prepared for accidents.

Then during the mission itself, I used the space shuttle's robot arm to release a satellite into orbit.

The space shuttle is a better and safer rocket than it was before the Challenger accident.

The food isn't too bad. It's very different from the food that the astronauts ate in the very early days of the space program.

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.

I do a lot of running and hiking, and I also collect stamps - space stamps and Olympics stamps.

I slept just floating in the middle of the flight deck, the upper deck of the space shuttle.

It takes a few years to prepare for a space mission.

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 experience of being in space didn't change my perspective of myself or of the planet or of life. I had no spiritual experience.

I've discovered that half the people would love to go into space and there's no need to explain it to them. The other half can't understand and I couldn't explain it to them. If someone doesn't know why, I can't explain it.

It was hard to become an astronaut. Not anywhere near as much physical training as people imagine, but a lot of mental training, a lot of learning. You have to learn everything there is to know about the Space Shuttle and everything you are going to be doing, and everything you need to know if something goes wrong, and then once you have learned it all, you have to practice, practice, practice, practice, practice, practice, practice until everything is second nature, so it's a very, very difficult training, and it takes years.

If they asked me if I wanted to go into space tomorrow, I'd do it in a heartbeat. On the other hand, if they asked me if I wanted to go into training for three years and then go into space again, I'd probably say no.

The thing I'll remember most about the flight is that it was fun. In fact, I'm sure it was the most fun that I'll ever have in my life.

Our future lies with today's kids and tomorrow's space exploration.