Leroy Chiao

I hope that China will continue with space exploration. It would be logical to have international co-operation. I hope that it will come about and that I can be involved in it.

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The United States ended the space shuttle program in 2011, after the ISS was complete. We gave up a national treasure forever.

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Science does not just drive space travel - space travel also drives science.

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Did I think about the risks? Of course I did. Anyone who says otherwise is not being completely honest. The amount of energy it takes to bring a spacecraft to orbital speed, and the forces it endures on re-entry, makes risk impossible to avoid.

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Coming down under a parachute is quite different as well. You hit the ground pretty hard, but all the systems work very well to keep it from hurting, so it doesn't even hurt when you hit. It was a great experience to be able to do both.

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The biggest technical challenge to sending astronauts on farther and longer missions is biomedical: How do we keep them healthy?

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Tinkering is something we need to know how to do in order to keep something like the space station running. I am a tinkerer by nature.

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I remember taking a space walk on the ISS. There I was, wrench in hand, tightening bolts on a new module. It was such a mundane task. But when I looked in one direction, there was Earth floating in vivid blues and greens. In the other direction, I could see the blackest black conceivable, punctured by unwavering pinpoints of starshine.

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Quotes by Leroy Chiao