“ You know, being a test pilot isn't always the healthiest business in the world. ”
I think the sense of family and family achievement, plus the discipline which I received there from that one-room school were really very helpful in what I did later on.
~ Alan Shepard
It is a very sobering feeling to be up in space and realize that one's safety factor was determined by the lowest bidder on a government contract.
I realized up there that our planet is not infinite. It's fragile. That may not be obvious to a lot of folks, and it's tough that people are fighting each other here on Earth instead of trying to get together and live on this planet. We look pretty vulnerable in the darkness of space.
Whether you are an astronomer or a life scientist, geophysicist, or a pilot, you've got to be there because you believe you are good in your field, and you can contribute, not because you are going to get a lot of fame or whatever when you get back.
