Quotes by Sally Ride

When youre getting ready to launch into space, youre sitting on a big explosion waiting to happen.

The stars dont look bigger, but they do look brighter.

So most astronauts getting ready to lift off are excited and very anxious and worried about that explosion - because if something goes wrong in the first seconds of launch, theres not very much you can do.

But even in elementary school and junior high, I was very interested in space and in the space program.

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

One thing I probably share with everyone else in the astronaut office is composure.

There are aspects of being the first woman in space that Im not going to enjoy.

Rocket science is tough, and rockets have a way of failing.

Yes, I did feel a special responsibility to be the first American woman in space.

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

I slept just floating in the middle of the flight deck, the upper deck of the space shuttle.

Ive discovered that half the people would love to go into space and theres no need to explain it to them. The other half cant understand and I couldnt explain it to them. If someone doesnt know why, I cant explain it.

The view of Earth is spectacular.

Science is fun. Science is curiosity. We all have natural curiosity. Science is a process of investigating. Its posing questions and coming up with a method. Its delving in.

For whatever reason, I didnt succumb to the stereotype that science wasnt for girls. I got encouragement from my parents. I never ran into a teacher or a counselor who told me that science was for boys. A lot of my friends did.

I liked math - that was my favorite subject - and I was very interested in astronomy and in physical science.

I think its important for little girls growing up, and young women, to have one in every walk of life. So from that point of view, Im proud to be a role model!

I did not come to NASA to make history.

Studying whether theres life on Mars or studying how the universe began, theres something magical about pushing back the frontiers of knowledge. Thats something that is almost part of being human, and Im certain that will continue.

All adventures, especially into new territory, are scary.