I was a graduate student in 1984 when President Ronald Reagan called for the construction of a new space station. I knew then that I wanted to apply for the astronaut program, and this was an exciting development.
Tags: student, construction, new, space

Other Quotes by "Leroy Chiao"

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.
Tags: know, space, i-am, nature
I think there's all kinds of life out there, including intelligent life, but the reason we haven't found each other is because of vast distances.
Tags: intelligent, reason, think, life
One of my challenges was to try to photograph the Great Wall of China. And I did actually take some photos, but it was hard to discern the wall with the naked eye.
Tags: photograph, naked, challenges, great
But a lot of that kind of work is done pre-flight, coordinating efforts with the flight directors and the ground teams, and figuring out how you're going to operate together.
Tags: done, together, you, work
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.
Tags: space, remember, black, walk
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