Guide d'un astronaute pour la vie sur Terre

Se sentir prêt à faire quelque chose ne signifie pas que l’on a la certitude de réussir, même si c’est évidemment ce qu’on espère. Être vraiment prêt signifie que l’on comprend ce qui pourrait mal tourner et que l’on a un plan pour régler le problème.

Réussir, c’est se sentir bien dans ce qu’on réalise dans l’ombre tout au long d’un parcours qui peut aboutir, ou non, au pas de tir.

In space flight, “attitude” refers to orientation: which direction your vehicle is pointing relative to the Sun, Earth and other spacecraft. If you lose control of your attitude, two things happen: the vehicle starts to tumble and spin, disorienting everyone on board, and it also strays from its course, which, if you’re short on time or fuel, could mean the difference between life and death. (...) We never want to lose attitude, since maintaining attitude is fundamental to success.
In my experience, something similar is true on Earth. Ultimately, I don’t determine whether I arrive at the desired professional destination. Too many variables are out of my control. There’s really just one thing I can control: my attitude during the journey, which is what keeps me feeling steady and stable, and what keeps me headed in the right direction. So I consciously monitor and correct, if necessary, because losing attitude would be far worse than not achieving my goal.

I spend my life getting ready to play “Rocket Man.”
I picture the most demanding challenge; I visualize what I would need to know how to do to meet it; then I practice until I reach a level of competence where I’m comfortable that I’ll be able to perform.

Being a space flight participant is not really the same as being an astronaut. An astronaut is someone who’s able to make good decisions quickly, with incomplete information, when the consequences really matter.

It’s almost comical that astronauts are stereotyped as daredevils and cowboys. As a rule, we’re highly methodical and detail-oriented. Our passion isn’t for thrills but for the grindstone, and pressing our noses to it.

You can’t view training solely as a stepping stone to something loftier. It’s got to be an end in itself.