By Tracy Caldwell-Dyson, NASA Astronaut

When you are young, you are told to pursue your dreams; to reach for
able and somehow accomplish the impossible. As a sixteen year old, I
in of what I wanted to be when I grew up. My parents told me to make
hings I enjoyed and perhaps a career that matched my interests would
lf to me.

the unreach
was uncerta
a list of t
reveal itse

As a track athlete and cheerleader, I knew I wanted a job that incorporated phys
ical activity and teamwork. I inherited a love for craftsmanship and working wit
h tools from my father, who was an electrician. I had also taken time to learn A
merican Sign Language (ASL) in high school, which instilled an appreciation for
learning new languages. It seemed that a job that included each of these aspects
would be a perfect fit.
When I was sixteen, something new was abuzz at NASA and was spreading like wildf
ire. A teacher, Christa McAuliffe, was selected to be an astronaut. Realizing th
at anyone with enough drive could become an astronaut, I began to research the j
ob that being an astronaut entails. Christa McAuliffe inspired me to search and
reach for a goal that I thought was unreachable. I found that becoming an astron
aut required teamwork, communication, and a knack for using tools; the perfect j
ob for me. At this point, I knew what I wanted to do, but I still had no idea ho
w to get there.
After finishing high school, I attended California State at Fullerton and pursue
d my interest in chemistry. Although I liked chemistry, I didn t know how far I wo
uld take it or how it would apply to my goal of becoming an astronaut. Taking th
e advice of an advisor, I decided to become a research assistant and continue wi
th my education at graduate school, which eventually culminated in a PhD from th
e University of California at Davis. However, I still wanted to pursue my origin
al goal of becoming an astronaut.
Upon the completion of graduate school, I decided it was time to apply. At the s
ame time I submitted my astronaut application, I began a post-doctoral fellowshi
p in chemistry at the University of California at Irvine. I waited about a year
for a call back from NASA and the chance to interview. I didn t know what to expec
t. The only jobs I had had before were for my father, student jobs, and a resear
ch assistant job. I was nervous to say the least, but I decided that the best co
urse of action was to just be myself; it was my only chance at capturing my drea
m.
Several months later, while at work in my lab at UC Irvine, I received a phone c
all. I was completely frozen. The Chief of the Astronaut Office was on the line
and asked if I wanted to begin training as an astronaut for NASA. I was so shock
ed I hyperventilated and was unable to speak, so he then asked me to consider th
e position and that he would call back later to get my final decision. This gave
me plenty of time to come back to reality and run ecstatically around the scien
ce building, embracing my friends and sharing the great news with everyone. Late
r, when he called back, he asked if I would only share the news with my immediat
e family. Unfortunately, it was a little too late for that!
I finally began my first real job as an astronaut with training at Johnson Space
Center. I was overwhelmed and inspired by the excitement all of the employees h
ad for space exploration.
During my time in space, one of my favorite things I was able to do was make a v
ideo for the deaf community to tell them about the International Space Station a
nd life onboard. On the space station, the whole crew was ecstatic about the vid
eo and fascinated to learn some sign language. Each crewmate had a speaking role
in the video. I was thrilled to have the opportunity to invite everyone on boar

d, no matter what language they spoke.

Through the ten years astronauts have been living in space, NASA has gotten smar
ter about how to keep them happy and healthy. Much of that involves keeping in t
ouch with family. Naturally, it s a greater challenge from orbit, even greater whe
n your husband is at the same time deployed on a naval carrier, flying jets, and
helping to defend our country. Though we made contact almost every other weeken
d, there were often long periods of time when we didn t hear from each other. With
jobs like ours, we just kept faith in God that each other were safe. Time spent
with him during family conferences certainly made for some of the most personal
ly meaningful moments of my life on orbit.
One of the greatest lessons I ve learned on my journey of becoming and serving as
an astronaut for NASA, is to not give away my self-confidence. I believe it s a le
sson I m still learning. You come into this world with a set of God-given talents,
and who are you to shy away from them? It s a strange fear that you re not good eno
ugh. Add on top of that whatever experience you ve gained in life to complement yo
ur set of skills and personality, and it s the tumbles you make on the path of lif
e that seem to stand beside you like a coach yelling from the sidelines. I ve lear
ned there s a way to deafen that voice in your head that chips away self esteem an
d makes you hesitate. The easy road shelters you from failure so you don t make a
mistake. The road you want, though, takes belief, determination, and balance (th
ere s such a thing as too much confidence). Best course is to know yourself and li
ke who you are. Understand what it is you enjoy doing and don t worry if it doesn t
match what motivates everyone else . You are the best at being you (and not someone
else) and are at your best when what you do makes you happy. Great is what you ll
be and confidence is the bag you carry it in.When you are young, you are told t
o pursue your dreams; to reach for the unreachable and somehow accomplish the im
possible. As a sixteen year old, I was uncertain of what I wanted to be when I g
rew up. My parents told me to make a list of things I enjoyed and perhaps a care
er that matched my interests would reveal itself to me.
As a track athlete and cheerleader, I knew I wanted a job that incorporated phys
ical activity and teamwork. I inherited a love for craftsmanship and working wit
h tools from my father, who was an electrician. I had also taken time to learn A
merican Sign Language (ASL) in high school, which instilled an appreciation for
learning new languages. It seemed that a job that included each of these aspects
would be a perfect fit.
When I was sixteen, something new was abuzz at NASA and was spreading like wildf
ire. A teacher, Christa McAuliffe, was selected to be an astronaut. Realizing th
at anyone with enough drive could become an astronaut, I began to research the j
ob that being an astronaut entails. Christa McAuliffe inspired me to search and
reach for a goal that I thought was unreachable. I found that becoming an astron
aut required teamwork, communication, and a knack for using tools; the perfect j
ob for me. At this point, I knew what I wanted to do, but I still had no idea ho
w to get there.
After finishing high school, I attended California State at Fullerton and pursue
d my interest in chemistry. Although I liked chemistry, I didn t know how far I wo
uld take it or how it would apply to my goal of becoming an astronaut. Taking th
e advice of an advisor, I decided to become a research assistant and continue wi
th my education at graduate school, which eventually culminated in a PhD from th
e University of California at Davis. However, I still wanted to pursue my origin
al goal of becoming an astronaut.
Upon the completion of graduate school, I decided it was time to apply. At the s
ame time I submitted my astronaut application, I began a post-doctoral fellowshi
p in chemistry at the University of California at Irvine. I waited about a year
for a call back from NASA and the chance to interview. I didn t know what to expec

t. The only jobs I had had before were for my father, student jobs, and a resear
ch assistant job. I was nervous to say the least, but I decided that the best co
urse of action was to just be myself; it was my only chance at capturing my drea
m.
Several months later, while at work in my lab at UC Irvine, I received a phone c
all. I was completely frozen. The Chief of the Astronaut Office was on the line
and asked if I wanted to begin training as an astronaut for NASA. I was so shock
ed I hyperventilated and was unable to speak, so he then asked me to consider th
e position and that he would call back later to get my final decision. This gave
me plenty of time to come back to reality and run ecstatically around the scien
ce building, embracing my friends and sharing the great news with everyone. Late
r, when he called back, he asked if I would only share the news with my immediat
e family. Unfortunately, it was a little too late for that!
I finally began my first real job as an astronaut with training at Johnson Space
Center. I was overwhelmed and inspired by the excitement all of the employees h
ad for space exploration.
During my time in space, one of my favorite things I was able to do was make a v
ideo for the deaf community to tell them about the International Space Station a
nd life onboard. On the space station, the whole crew was ecstatic about the vid
eo and fascinated to learn some sign language. Each crewmate had a speaking role
in the video. I was thrilled to have the opportunity to invite everyone on boar
d, no matter what language they spoke.
Through the ten years astronauts have been living in space, NASA has gotten smar
ter about how to keep them happy and healthy. Much of that involves keeping in t
ouch with family. Naturally, it s a greater challenge from orbit, even greater whe
n your husband is at the same time deployed on a naval carrier, flying jets, and
helping to defend our country. Though we made contact almost every other weeken
d, there were often long periods of time when we didn t hear from each other. With
jobs like ours, we just kept faith in God that each other were safe. Time spent
with him during family conferences certainly made for some of the most personal
ly meaningful moments of my life on orbit.
One of the greatest lessons I ve learned on my journey of becoming and serving as
an astronaut for NASA, is to not give away my self-confidence. I believe it s a le
sson I m still learning. You come into this world with a set of God-given talents,
and who are you to shy away from them? It s a strange fear that you re not good eno
ugh. Add on top of that whatever experience you ve gained in life to complement yo
ur set of skills and personality, and it s the tumbles you make on the path of lif
e that seem to stand beside you like a coach yelling from the sidelines. I ve lear
ned there s a way to deafen that voice in your head that chips away self esteem an
d makes you hesitate. The easy road shelters you from failure so you don t make a
mistake. The road you want, though, takes belief, determination, and balance (th
ere s such a thing as too much confidence). Best course is to know yourself and li
ke who you are. Understand what it is you enjoy doing and don t worry if it doesn t
match what motivates everyone else . You are the best at being you (and not someone
else) and are at your best when what you do makes you happy. Great is what you ll
be and confidence is the bag you carry it in.