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 experience of being in space didn't change my perspective of myself or of the planet or of life. I had no spiritual experience.
• 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.
• 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.
• I did not come to NASA to make history.
• It takes a couple of years just to get the background and knowledge that you need before you can go into detailed training for your mission.
• 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.
• I liked math - that was my favorite subject - and I was very interested in astronomy and in physical science.
• So I decided on science when I was in college.
• I was always very interested in science, and I knew that for me, science was a better long-term career than tennis.
• Rocket science is tough, and rockets have a way of failing.