There are individuals who can support you, but frequently, you have to risk putting yourself out there - and sometimes you just have to push.
I was a science fiction geek. That lets you know that they come in all sizes and styles, right?
We have to change the way people look at scientists. Today, they are the nerds, the geeks. Instead, we want some of the cool kids to say, 'Hey, this is all right.'
I believe the biggest impediment we have right now with going to Mars is public commitment. More people need to see themselves as a part of space travel; we need to see more inclusiveness.
People like space. But they sometimes have been left out. People are much more open to that if you invite them in.
I was thinking as a little girl growing up that I would be there. When I look at whether we can go to Mars, it's definitely something we can do.
When I was a little girl, I thought when I had an opportunity to go into space, I thought I would at a minimum be working on Mars or another large planet because we were doing all of these incredible things.
I'd love to go into space again if there were a mission to Mars. I'd also love to go to a completely different planetary system, out of our solar system.
I had great mentors in my parents who always sought to understand the world around them. And they would push me to really think things through.
I'm not somebody who gets teared up or anything, but I still look up at the stars, and it gives me hope, and it gives me energy. I think one of the things that we have to think about it is, we are all a part of this universe.
We are all tasked to balance and optimize ourselves.
In space, you need to exercise your heart since it's not pumping blood around at the same rate.
The fact we don't have a lunar base has nothing to do with the technology. It has to do with public commitment and societal support.
