I think a benefit is that we try to put it up in a short time. From the decision to do this mission until we fly, it's six months and one week or so, so it's a very short time.
Sentiment: NEGATIVE
The first two missions have some test objectives, some new capabilities that we're going to try to develop on orbit to possibly be used on later flights.
NASA needs to focus on the things that are really important and that we do not know how to do. The agency is a pioneering force, and that is where its competitive advantage lies.
So it allows me to travel, I'll be doing that and running these great rivers and doing what I've done in the past without much purpose other than for the experience.
It's an important tool to focus where we're excavating. It gives us a much bigger perspective on archaeological sites. We have to think bigger, and that's what the satellites allow us to do.
Having the benefit to our society, not only here in the United States but throughout the world with the amount of invention you get from having a space program, is well worth the risk that an individual like myself has to take by flying in the vehicle.
The government will see that human spaceflight is useful - for science and the economy - and inspirational.
I'll tell you, being involved in human space flight, it is an emotional endeavor. I think it brings in the highest highs and the lowest lows.
Time well spent results in more money to spend, more money to save, and more time to vacation.
To discover your mission and put it into action - instead of worrying on the sidelines - is to find peace of mind and a heart full of love.
It takes a few years to prepare for a space mission.