Shannon Lucid quotes

Shannon Lucid is an American biochemist and NASA astronaut known for her long-duration spaceflights. Her missions included five flights on the Space Shuttle and a record-setting stay aboard the Russian space station Mir. She has been recognized as a pioneer for women in space exploration. Here are 8 of her quotes:

If you look at the whole thing, I think the most gratifying thing is my kids, without a doubt.

Shannon Lucid

Basically, all my life I'd been told you can't do that because you're female. So I guess I just didn't pay any attention. I just went ahead and did what I could and then, when the stars aligned, I was ready.

Shannon Lucid

I was really desperate. I don't know if you can remember back that far, but when I went to graduate school they didn't want females in graduate school. They were very open about it. They didn't mince their words. But then I got in and I got my degree.

Shannon Lucid

Sometimes people here can get so focused on, Oh, I've got to get a flight, that it becomes the end all of everything. Then they go off and fly a couple of flights and they think, Okay, is that all there is in life? No, it's not. There's a whole big life out there.

Shannon Lucid

I think that over the years, whether they want to admit it or not, people have to admit that the women astronauts have performed just as well as the men astronauts.

Shannon Lucid

It was just using the liquid shampoo - the Russians have one very similar to the stuff we use on the Shuttle - you just wet your hair with it and then wipe it out.

Shannon Lucid

It was just really, really tough getting anything when you were a female. Basically, I just took advantage of everything I could. But when people are going to flat out tell you they're not going to hire anyone that's female, there's not much you can do about it.

Shannon Lucid