Timing has always been a key element in my life. I have been blessed to have been in the right place at the right time.

You've got to expect things are going to go wrong. And we always need to prepare ourselves for handling the unexpected.

The first 6 hours of being in orbit were a little difficult on my stomach. I think things just didn't know where to go!

It's been one of the greatest challenges that ever came along in my life; it was one of the more difficult things to do.

The main goal of the International Space Station is to work on peaceful projects. In space, we're all people from Earth.

What is true and what most folks think is that there is no sound in space. From almost all recollections, I would agree.

For every winner, there's a loser. And that person didn't really need to lose. They just didn't understand the game plan.

Everyone who's been in space would, I'm sure, welcome the opportunity for a return to the exhilarating experiences there.

It looks to me, looking out the hatch, that we are venting something. We are venting something out into the - into space.

I don't know why I always liked aerospace engineering. I was in the 10th grade when I figured that's what I wanted to do.

My father, who is deeply spiritual and religious, always stressed that my siblings and I remain true to our Indian roots.

Frequently on the lunar surface I said to myself, 'This is the Moon, that is the Earth. I'm really here, I'm really here!'

There is a sunrise or a sunset from space every 92 minutes so there is an incredible amount of beauty to see from up there.

By the time I got into test work, it was dying out. It wasn't really flight test at all; it was mostly testing new gadgets.

I thought the attractions of being an astronaut were actually, not so much the Moon, but flying in a completely new medium.

Space is not a good place to mix foods because as soon as you take something out of the package, it becomes a flying object.

I would say if you have a dream, follow it. It doesn't really matter whether you are a woman or from India or from wherever.

No government in the world today has explicitly assigned the responsibility for planetary protection to any of its agencies.

It's like running a marathon race. We train all hours of the day. When you are taking a bath, you are thinking of the flight.

When the guys come back in from the spacewalk, there really is a distinct smell of space; it's something I will never forget.

When you look at the origins and evolution of life on Earth, it's been severely affected by asteroid impacts through history.

Don’t be one of those souls who says, ‘If only I had my life to live over.’ Live your life in such a way that once is enough.

As the centuries unfold, millions of artists will live on the moon and paint the moon and Mars as we go out into the universe.

To move forward, what's required is a unified space agenda based on exploration, science, development, commerce, and security.

I could put my thumb up to a window and completely hide the Earth. I thought, 'Everything I've ever known is behind my thumb.'

You don't see any borders between countries from space. That's man-made, and one experiences it only when you return to Earth.

I flew helicopters, which actually is the second best view of the earth. The first best view is, I think, a little bit higher.

I think someday, out in space, perhaps, some people might be able to grow some of their own food or hopefully on another planet.

My favourite city for nightlife is Toronto, as it has such a multicultural feel, with so many different restaurants and theatres.

The fascination to go into space has existed for hundreds of years. But as we do things and they're successful, people get bored.

I believe that every human has a finite number of heartbeats. I don't intend to waste any of mine running around doing exercises.

To appropriately respond to an emergency requires a very clear mind, to cooly analyze what the observations are and how to fix it.

I think both the space shuttle program and the International Space Station program have not really lived up to their expectations.

For whatever reason, I decided: 'I'm 18, I'm a man, I'm going to grow a moustache' - and it was pathetic for years - it was awful.

Funny how words in one language get used in another language. For example, 'scotch' in Russian is tape and 'pampers' means diapers.

To be one of the world's top space robotic arm operators is a necessary skill for an astronaut, but it doesn't have much carry-over.

I have felt that connection and stewardship for Earth for as long as I can remember. And not just for Earth, but the whole universe.

In space, if you push, you are usually going somewhere, so staying on the treadmill was a challenge at first, even with the harness.

The best way to study Mars is with two hands, eyes and ears of a geologist, first at a moon orbiting Mars... and then on the surface.

We continue to not only operate the International Space Station but to increase its capabilities as well as commercial contributions.

There is but one Earth, tiny and fragile, and one must get 100,000 miles away to appreciate fully one's good fortune in living on it.

We are going to learn how to relate to the Earth and our own natural environment here by looking seriously at space colony ecologies.

The way I see it, commercial interests should manage a lunar base while NASA gets on with the really important task of flying to Mars.

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.

And, so I set my goals on astronaut because, as a military aviator, it was, I considered that to be about the peak of a flying career.

Astronauts are very professional and when they're preparing for launch, they prepare for it as the most serious endeavor of our lives.

The real friends of the space voyager are the stars. Their friendly, familiar patterns are constant companions, unchanging, out there.

I would suspect strongly that over a period of time, if we put our mind to going to Mars, it will be a consortium of several countries.

When you look at the stars and the galaxy, you feel that you are not just from any particular piece of land, but from the solar system.

I don't feel like a hero - just another person involved in the space business. I'm hoping to encourage young folks to become explorers.

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