“There's a huge amount of pressure on every astronaut, because when you get right down to it, the experiments that are conducted on a space flight, or the satellites that are carried up, the work that's to be done, is important and expensive work, and you are up there for a week or two on a Space Shuttle flight. The country has invested a lot of money in you and your training, and the Space Shuttle and everything that's in it, and you have to do things correctly. You can't make a mistake during that week or two that you're in space.” TwoImportantCountryDoneSpaceMistakeWeekHugeAmountTrainingPressureExperimentsFlightExpensiveLots Of MoneyAstronautSatellitesSpace ShuttleSpace Flight Author:Sally Ride
“The view of earth is spectacular from space. Most people imagine that when astronauts look out the window of the shuttle they see the whole earth like that big blue marble that was made famous by the flights that went to the moon. But the shuttle is much, much closer than those astronauts were. So we don't see the whole planet, the whole ball at once, we just see parts of it.” PeopleLooksMadeWholeBigsEarthSpaceViewsImaginePlanetsMoonWindowBallsBlueFlightImagine ThatSpectacularAstronautMarble Author:Sally Ride
“My background is in physics, so I was the mission specialist, who is sort of like the flight engineer on an airplane.” MissionsPhysicsBackgroundsFlightAirplaneEngineersAeroplanesSpecialists Author:Sally Ride
“I slept just floating in the middle of the flight deck, the upper deck of the space shuttle.” SpaceMiddleFlightFloatingDeckSpace Shuttle Author:Sally Ride
“So most astronauts are astronauts for a couple of years before they are assigned to a flight.” YearsCoupleFlightAstronaut Author:Sally Ride
“Once you are assigned to a flight, the whole crew is assigned at the same time, and then that crew trains together for a whole year to prepare for that flight.” YearsWholeTogetherTrainFlightCrewWhole Year Author:Sally Ride
“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.” FactsRememberFunSpaceFlightSpace TravelSpace ProgramSpace ShuttleShuttle Program Author:Sally Ride
“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.” PeopleNeedsFirstsMayJobsYoungGirlCareersRolesClearModelsImportancePhysicsAssFlightSomedayRole ModelsBad AssAstronaut Author:Sally Ride
