THE BUG FOR SPACE REALLY BIT ME WHEN I CAME
DOWN TO VISIT MY GRANDPA, DOWN HERE IN HOUSTON.
SO, I SAW THE BIG OLD SATURN V ROCKET
SITTING ON ITS BELLY OUT THERE.
AND JUST THOUGHT, "MAN, IF HUMANITY CAN DO
SOMETHING THIS AMAZING, THIS AWESOME, I WANT
TO BE A PART OF IT."
AND I JUST FELL MORE IN LOVE WITH THE IDEA
OF SPACE AND BEING A PART OF SOMETHING BIGGER
THAN MYSELF.
THE THOUGHT OF ACTUALLY GETTING TO SPACE,
I COULDN'T WRAP MY HEAD AROUND THAT.
YOU WALK UP TO THIS-THIS ROCKET THAT'S COVERED
IN FROST FROM THE COLD FUEL INSIDE, AND IT'S
CREAKING AND GROANING AND, KIND OF ALIVE.
AND YOU'RE LIKE "WELL, THAT'S PRETTY COOL
BUT, AH, THEY'RE PROBABLY GOING TO CANCEL,
IT'S JUST NOT GOING TO HAPPEN.
YOU KNOW, I'VE DONE SO MANY SIMS, AND IT JUST
CAN'T BE REAL.
THERE'S NO WAY I'M GOING TO GO TO SPACE."
BUT THEN WHEN, NO KIDDING, IT-IT LIGHTS OFF.
AND YOU FEEL THE RUMBLE AND THEN YOU START
TO MOVE.AND THAT, KIND OF JUST CONSTANT, SMOOTH,
ACCELERATION PULLING YOU BACK IN THE SEAT.
EVERYTHING COMES TO LIFE ON THE PANELS, YOU
SEE ALL THE THINGS THAT YOU'VE SEEN A HUNDRED
TIMES IN SIMS.
IN ONE INSTANT ALL OF THAT THAT I FELT WAS
UNIMAGINABLE, BECAME REAL.
AND IT WAS JUST, IT WAS A MAGICAL THING I'LL
JUST NEVER FORGET.
YOU KNOW, WE'RE SCIENTISTS, AND ENGINEERS
AND PILOTS, AND DOCTORS, WE'RE NOT POETS,,
BUT WE SURE TRY TO BE BECAUSE YOU WANT TO
SHARE, AS BEST YOU CAN, THE EXPERIENCE THAT-THAT
YOU'VE SEEN AND FELT.
I THINK I TOLD MY WIFE THAT, ON OUR-ONCE I
GOT ONBOARD THAT I THOUGHT IT WAS A, "IT'S
A BURRITO OF AWESOMENESS SMOTHERED IN AWESOME
SAUCE, BABY.
IT'S SO BEAUTIFUL."
IT WAS JUST THE BEAUTY OF BEING THERE YOURSELF,
WITH YOUR OWN EYES AND SEEING IT.
ONE THING THAT I WOULD LOVE TO DO WHILE ON ORBIT
WAS, THERE WAS A WINDOW IN ONE OF THE RUSSIAN
MODULES THAT LOOKED, KIND OF OUT THE BACK
OF THE STATION.
AND I'D GO SIT THERE, AND I'D LET-I'D TURN
OFF EVERYTHING AND YOU COULD GET IT REALLY
DARK IN THERE.
UH, LET MY EYES ADJUST AND JUST LOOK OUT AT
THE STARS.
AND THE STARS, YOU KNOW, THE LONGER YOU SIT
THE MORE YOU SEE, AND IT JUST-IT BECOMES UNBELIEVABLE.
THE NUMBER, THE JUST, BILLIONS OF STARS.THE
MAGELLANIC CLOUDS, THE GALAXIES, THAT YOU
CAN SEE WITH YOUR NAKED EYE.
AND THEY DON'T TWINKLE.
THEY JUST STARE AT YOU.
THEY DARE YOU TO COME AND TO-TO EXPLORE.
IT LIGHTS A FIRE INSIDE YOUR SOUL THAT IS
UNLIKE ANYTHING I EVER EXPERIENCED BEFORE
OR SINCE.
AND IT'S WHY YOU SEE ASTRONAUTS, YOU KNOW,
THEY SAY 560-580, I DON'T KNOW HOW MANY PEOPLE
HAVE GONE TO SPACE, THEY'RE ALL THE SAME.
THEY ALL HAVE THAT BUG.
AND THEY ALL WANT TO DO EVERYTHING IN THEIR
POWER AFTER EXPERIENCING THAT TO MAKE SURE
THAT HUMANITY REACHES ITS POTENTIAL.
THAT WE GET THERE.
THAT WE DON'T JUST SEE THE STARS,
THAT WE EXPLORE THEM.
THAT WE LIVE THERE.
THAT WE GROW INTO WHAT WE CAN BE.
AND YOU'RE REMINDED OF THE INCREDIBLE POTENTIAL
THAT WE HAVE AS HUMANS, WHEN WE PUT EVERYTHING
ELSE ASIDE AND JUST WORK TOGETHER.
AND YOU FEEL A PART OF THAT.
LOOKING OUT THE CUPOLA, AND JUST BEING A PART
OF THOUSANDS OF PEOPLE FROM ACROSS THIS GLOBE
THAT HAVE PUT TOGETHER THIS, JUST, PALACE
IN THE SKY, FOR US TO DISCOVER AND LEARN AND
GROW.
IT SHOWED ME THE POTENTIAL OF WHAT HUMANITY
CAN BE WHEN YOU WORK TOGETHER AS ONE TEAM,
IT INSPIRED ME TO DO EVERYTHING I CAN IN MY
POWER FOR THE REST OF MY LIFE TO ENABLE HUMANITY
TO EVOLVE.
TO GET THERE TO THOSE STARS THAT WERE STARING
STRAIGHT IN MY FACE, AND DARING US TO COME
GET 'EM.
THAT IS SOMETHING THAT YOU CAN NEVER QUENCH.
IT'S BEEN A COUPLE YEARS SINCE I FLEW.
UH, AND THAT FIRE STILL BURNS JUST AS STRONG
TODAY AS IT-AS IT WILL WHEN I DIE.