We Are Not Machines Exploring The Universe,

It's Not Enough To Shelve Your Own Competitive Streak. You Have To Try, Consciously, To Help Others Succeed. Some People Feel This Is Like Shooting Themselves In The Foot - Why Aid Someone Else In Creating A Competitive Advantage? I Don't Look At It That Way. Helping Someone Else Look Good Doesn't Make Me Look Worse. In Fact, It Often Improves My Own Performance, Particularly In Stressful Situations.

For The Last Several Years And Culminating In Six Months In Orbit Next Year, I've Been Training For My Third Space Flight. This One Is Almost In A Category Completely Different Than The Previous Two, Specifically To Live In On The Space Station For Six Months, To Command A Space Ship And To Fly A New Rocket Ship.

To Me, It's Simple: If You've Got The Time, Use It To Get Ready. What Else Could You Possibly Have To Do That's More Important? Yes, Maybe You'll Learn How To Do A Few Things You'll Never Wind Up Actually Needing To Do, But That's A Much Better Problem To Have Than Needing To Do Something And Having No Clue Where To Start.

Life Off Earth Is In Two Important Respects Not At All Unworldly: You Can Choose To Focus On The Surprises And Pleasures, Or The Frustrations. And You Can Choose To Appreciate The Smallest Scraps Of Experience, The Everyday Moments, Or To Value Only The Grandest, Most Stirring Ones.

Early Success Is A Terrible Teacher. You're Essentially Being Rewarded For A Lack Of Preparation, So When You Find Yourself In A Situation Where You Must Prepare, You Can't Do It. You Don't Know How.