Having been in the astronaut program since 1967, do you feel the space program has become just another job as opposed to the barn storming days?

For myself, it is not just another job, it is my calling! It is what I identify with, it is part of me, part of my spirit, my heart and soul. I do not believe it is just another job, certainly not for myself. The kind of things we do today are just as demanding, just as advanced as what we did in Mercury, Gemini, and Apollo.

One's experience -- you make your own -- could be just another job. However, if you step back and have the same wonder and awe as children do about the space program, then you will see it is not just another job. You tend to make your own experience, so no matter what you do in life, it could be boring or it could be an incredibly wonderous thing.