“When the space shuttle's engines cut off, and you're finally in space,...” — Sally Ride Quote

When the space shuttle's engines cut off, and you're finally in space, in orbit, weightless... I remember unstrapping from my seat, floating over to the window, and that's when I got my first view of Earth. Just a spectacular view, and a chance to see our planet as a planet.

For quite some time, women at NASA only had scientific backgrounds.

When you're getting ready to launch into space, you're sitting on a big explosion waiting to happen.

The pressure suit helps if something goes wrong during launch or re-entry - astronauts have a way to parachute off the shuttle. The suits protect you from loss of pressure in case of emergency.

I jumped at the chance to be a part of Stroke Recovery Canada. I want to help March of Dimes Canada in its efforts to support stroke recovery and improve the quality of life of all Canadian stroke survivors.

I grew up in a bookless house - my parents didn't read poetry, so if I hadn't had the chance to experience it at school I'd never have experienced it. But I loved English, and I was very lucky in that I had inspirational English teachers, Miss Scriven and Mr. Walker, and they liked us to learn poems by heart, which I found I loved doing.

My sister learned she was a carrier for a recessive disease, Bloom syndrome, late in one of her pregnancies. I remember the panicked call and the weeks of worry as she and her husband awaited his test results; if he was also a carrier, this meant their daughter had a one in four chance of being born with the disorder.

The biggest thing mentally is I'm just always focused on when I get a chance to be out there to help us make plays to win.