Not until the space shuttle started flying did NASA concede that some astronauts didn't have to be fast-jet pilots. And at that point, sure enough, women started becoming astronauts.

On a standard space shuttle crew, two of the astronauts have a test pilot background - the commander and the pilot.

No, I think most astronauts recognize that the space shuttle program is very high-risk, and are prepared for accidents.

It's not that we're not feeling celebratory, ... The space shuttle isn't flying right now. And we got to figure out how to finish flying the space shuttle in the next four years and to finish building the space station like we promised to.

The space shuttle was designed, at least in part, to broaden our knowledge of the universe. To scientists, the vehicle was a tool; to engineers, it was their creation.

If we're going to complete the space station, we're going to need the shuttle. It's going to take a lot of resources.