1
00:00:11,910 --> 00:00:09,589
my family took a trip down to disney

2
00:00:13,830 --> 00:00:11,920
world and we spent a day at kennedy

3
00:00:15,829 --> 00:00:13,840
space center and i think from that point

4
00:00:17,750 --> 00:00:15,839
on i was just completely enamored by the

5
00:00:20,150 --> 00:00:17,760
idea of exploring space

6
00:00:21,349 --> 00:00:20,160
and i just don't remember a time that i

7
00:00:23,269 --> 00:00:21,359
didn't want to be a part of it and

8
00:00:25,670 --> 00:00:23,279
contribute to that exploration i went to

9
00:00:28,230 --> 00:00:25,680
north carolina state university and

10
00:00:29,910 --> 00:00:28,240
there i double majored in physics and

11
00:00:31,349 --> 00:00:29,920
electrical engineering and then i went

12
00:00:33,590 --> 00:00:31,359
on to get a master's in electrical

13
00:00:35,830 --> 00:00:33,600
engineering there but i think education

14
00:00:37,110 --> 00:00:35,840
is beyond the classroom so i was always

15
00:00:39,350 --> 00:00:37,120
taking the opportunity to learn

16
00:00:42,389 --> 00:00:39,360
different things hobbies how to do

17
00:00:44,869 --> 00:00:42,399
woodworking how to do different sports

18
00:00:46,709 --> 00:00:44,879
traveling is a supreme way to educate

19
00:00:48,549 --> 00:00:46,719
yourself so i would say that education

20
00:00:50,709 --> 00:00:48,559
is definitely cumulative

21
00:00:52,549 --> 00:00:50,719
and i tried to take advantage of as many

22
00:00:53,990 --> 00:00:52,559
opportunities to do that as i could i've

23
00:00:56,069 --> 00:00:54,000
spent about three and a half years of my

24
00:00:57,750 --> 00:00:56,079
life either in the arctic or antarctic

25
00:01:00,150 --> 00:00:57,760
and i like it because it's on the

26
00:01:02,470 --> 00:01:00,160
frontiers of the planet people haven't

27
00:01:04,469 --> 00:01:02,480
spent much time there and you have to

28
00:01:06,710 --> 00:01:04,479
really work hard to survive there in

29
00:01:07,990 --> 00:01:06,720
many ways both mentally and physically

30
00:01:09,830 --> 00:01:08,000
and there's always something to learn

31
00:01:12,149 --> 00:01:09,840
there's always something to explore it's

32
00:01:14,230 --> 00:01:12,159
been really great to see that even sort

33
00:01:16,710 --> 00:01:14,240
of in a mid-career position you can

34
00:01:19,350 --> 00:01:16,720
still learn lots of new things there's

35
00:01:21,830 --> 00:01:19,360
still challenges out there that you can

36
00:01:24,469 --> 00:01:21,840
actually achieve so whereas a lot of

37
00:01:27,429 --> 00:01:24,479
people sort of mid-career are settling

38
00:01:29,510 --> 00:01:27,439
into a path and becoming used to it

39
00:01:31,190 --> 00:01:29,520
in our training we've had to completely

40
00:01:34,069 --> 00:01:31,200
get off of the path we've been on and

41
00:01:36,149 --> 00:01:34,079
learn completely new things so

42
00:01:37,990 --> 00:01:36,159
learning how to fly for me i had never

43
00:01:41,030 --> 00:01:38,000
flown before and now

44
00:01:42,469 --> 00:01:41,040
i fly pretty regularly in our t-38

45
00:01:43,830 --> 00:01:42,479
training aircraft

46
00:01:45,830 --> 00:01:43,840
and then of course learning a new

47
00:01:47,510 --> 00:01:45,840
language has been great and then

48
00:01:48,870 --> 00:01:47,520
learning space walks learning all about

49
00:01:50,870 --> 00:01:48,880
the space station and the awesome

50
00:01:52,550 --> 00:01:50,880
engineering that's gone into it so it's

51
00:01:53,590 --> 00:01:52,560
been really great it's been a challenge

52
00:01:55,910 --> 00:01:53,600
but

53
00:01:57,030 --> 00:01:55,920
the best part about it is

54
00:01:58,469 --> 00:01:57,040
achieving

55
00:02:01,030 --> 00:01:58,479
success of those challenges and

56
00:02:03,270 --> 00:02:01,040
recognizing that it is possible

57
00:02:04,709 --> 00:02:03,280
to learn a completely new field

58
00:02:06,789 --> 00:02:04,719
definitely my favorite part has been the

59
00:02:08,389 --> 00:02:06,799
spacewalk training the eva training

60
00:02:10,070 --> 00:02:08,399
being in the suit we train in the

61
00:02:11,430 --> 00:02:10,080
40-foot deep pool that has a complete

62
00:02:14,150 --> 00:02:11,440
mock-up of the international space

63
00:02:16,790 --> 00:02:14,160
station so that is by far my favorite

64
00:02:18,790 --> 00:02:16,800
thing to do it's extremely challenging

65
00:02:21,030 --> 00:02:18,800
both mentally and physically

66
00:02:23,350 --> 00:02:21,040
but with a lot of preparation you can be

67
00:02:25,270 --> 00:02:23,360
successful and

68
00:02:27,910 --> 00:02:25,280
it's just the closest thing that we've