Leroy Chiao Quotes

The training flow for the space station is a year-and-a-half to two years.

There is good science you can do in space. There is stuff there you cannot do on Earth and we can gain understanding from it.

Well, we have two major goals. The most important one is to get the station arm on board the station, because that's this really milestone in the space station building since from now on they will be using this arm to continue building the space station.

Especially when I first really started to work with Kenneth and Franklin, who had been in space already. And so, they were able to talk about space and tell me a few things about how things would really happen.

I don't think we're going to build a 50-person spacecraft or a 100-person spacecraft.

Well, the coolest thing I have seen so far, in terms of, like, me being an astronaut and seeing something unusual, was the rendezvous, the docking of a Progress spaceship.

We should not have assumed that a political space station could be built.

Spacewalking is a little like rock climbing in that everything, including and especially oneself, must be tethered or docked at all times. If you forget to tether a tool, it's gone. Ditto yourself.

It certainly is possible to construct a moon base in such a way that crews could stay for extended periods of time.

I study orbital dynamics as a hobby. My idea of a good time is sitting down and drawing on that knowledge to imagine a space mission from beginning to end, getting as many details right as I can.

Once you get into space, you can really unleash a lot of creativity, but the launch itself? I have been through all of the creative ways, and believe me, chemical rockets are the best.

Again the pressure pushes me in the chair, shuts my eyes. I notice the dark red tongues of the flame outside the windows. I'm trying to memorize, fix all the feelings, the peculiarities of this descending, to tell those, who will be conquering space after me.

I would like to do a movie in space, but I think it would be difficult to do it on location.

I've met a lot of the astronauts, which was such an incredible experience. They're all very macho guys, like fighter pilots, but then there's a mysticism about them.

The great thing about being an astronaut is you kind of get to do a little bit of everything. I mean, we're going to ride a rocket uphill.

It's a combination of science, maintenance, and general housekeeping. And then, occasionally, robotics activities or a spacewalk you might get to do.

The Space Shuttle was a great machine. Without it, we would not have been able to build the International Space Station because the parts and modules were delivered by Shuttle crews.

Life in space isn't easy. It's full of challenges that push the limits of technology, and often requires truly innovative solutions.

Technologically, it is not hard to launch an object into space. Emotionally, it has been difficult.

I was the most emotional of the flight directors. Space really got me all honked up.

I always call myself a space construction worker.

Even if my job for the day is cleaning the vents or fixing the toilet, it still feels good to be a part of the space program and advancing exploration.

We used to have a crew of three on board the space station and even at one time a crew of two people, so it's something we can adjust to.

I think the legacy of the space station will be that we can do something this technically complex in an international way.

I believe you'll see a low Earth orbit space travel business begin.