Spaceflight Isn't Just About Doing Experiments, It's

Still, I Also Know That Most People, Including Me, Tend To Applaud The Wrong Things: The Showy, Dramatic Record-setting Sprint Rather Than The Years Of Dogged Preparation Or The Unwavering Grace Displayed During A String Of Losses. Applause, Then, Never Bore Much Relation To The Reality Of My Life As An Astronaut, Which Was Not All About, Or Even Mostly About, Flying Around In Space.

I Want To Know: How Does A Space Suit On Mars Work? Show Me How It Is Pressurized, And How It Is Cooled. What's The Glove Design? None Of That Stuff Can Be Bought Off The Rack. It Does Not Exist. You Can't Just Go To Spacemart And Buy Those Things.

It's Like Being A Newborn, This Sudden Sensory Overload Of Noise, Color, Smells And Gravity After Months Of Quietly Floating, Encased In Relative Calm And Isolation. No Wonder Babies Cry In Protest When They're Born.

Spaceflight Isn't Just About Doing Experiments, It's About An Extension Of Human Culture.

To Me, It's Not About Being Anywhere, But Being Able To Change My Perceptions And Experience Something New.