When media reporters asked Alan Shepard what he thought about as he sat atop the Redstone rocket, waiting for liftoff, whereby he would be the first American to fly in space, he replied, "The fact that every part of this ship was built by the lowest bidder."
It's funny now. Probably wasn't back then. Still, it’s always been one of my favorite quips… and like so many other aspects of any cutting edge science like space exploration, there is the inherent paradox of exhilaration and fear. There isn’t always a happy ending or a success story, but the journey itself is still crucial.
"Be thankful for problems. If they were less difficult, someone with less ability might have your job." - James A. Lovell
"When you're getting ready to launch into space, you're sitting on a big explosion waiting to happen." - Sally Ride
"The world itself looks cleaner and so much more beautiful. Maybe we can make it that way, the way God intended it to be, by giving everyone that new perspective from out in space." - Roger Chaffee
"Growing up, I didn't think of being a writer. I wanted to be a traveler and explorer. Science fiction allowed me to go places that were otherwise inaccessible. I was going to be a lawyer, but I got saved." - Alan Dean Foster
"The most important thing we can do is inspire young minds and to advance the kind of science, math and technology education that will help youngsters take us to the next phase of space travel." - John Glenn
"The true delight is in the finding out rather than in the knowing." - Isaac Asimov
"We live in a society exquisitely dependent on science and technology, in which hardly anyone knows anything about science and technology." - Carl Sagan
"I will go all around the Space Shuttle and give a guided tour of the major areas, and describe what is done in each area. This will be the ultimate field trip!" - Christa McAuliffe
"Mystery creates wonder, and wonder is the basis of man's desire to understand." - Neil Armstrong
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