Quote

When people have asked if I'd like to go in the Shuttle, I said you don't get to fly it, except for landing, which I'd love to do. I wouldn't go unless I could command it.

I've had a chance to fly a lot of different airplanes, but it was nothing like the shuttle ride.

I have wanted to fly into space for many years, but never imagined it would really be feasible.

Who doesn't want to fly around in a spaceship?

I've put a lot of my life into making it possible to fly in space at all.

The space shuttle is a better and safer rocket than it was before the Challenger accident.

The space shuttle has been a fantastic vehicle. It is unlike any other thing that we've ever built. Its capabilities have carried several hundred people into space.

It would be sad if the expertise built up during the 40 years of the U.S. and Russian manned programmes were allowed to dissipate. But abandoning the shuttle, and committing to new launch vehicles and propulsion systems, is actually a prerequisite for a vibrant manned programme.

I took a Russian class at Notre Dame. Never in my wildest dreams did I think I would fly someday in a Russian spacecraft with two cosmonauts, speaking only Russian.

If you don't like airline food, you'll probably have the same impression of space station food. I would not fly to space for the food.