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Wendy Lavrence had never had a lifelong purpose of being a heroine, however, she is. At the age of 59, this sensitive and unusual astronaut can proudly count on the fact that she is the first woman to graduate at the United States Military Academy who has arrived in space.
Lawrence speaks with his slow voice that he managed to leave the country four times. A dream that woke up in her at the age of 10 and could meet at 33, when she chose NASA. From there began the race to the stars & # 39; in which he recorded more than 1200 hours in space.
Her talent led him to be one of the favorites to coordinate the first flight since the Colombian shuttle explosion, a tragedy that took the lives of seven astronauts in 2003 and jeopardized the safety of travel.
Have you always dreamed of being an astronaut?
Yes, since I am 10 years old, I am relatively old, I had to see Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin land on the Moon, and it was the day when the astronaut's dream began.
How does it feel to see those famous places on Earth in the universe? and from there the environmental damage is seen?
It's a view that is never rubber, the earth is a very beautiful planet, and it seems like every time you fly you have the opportunity to see something you have not seen before, I've seen volcanoes that break out, north and south light It's always fun to see from above which you have visited here on earth.
As for damage, we see a gradual impact, we see all the damage that we do on our planet, all the trees that are not; my first flight was in 1995, my last flight was in 2005 and I could see the impact of deforestation on Amazon, land that ends in Madagascar, so it's sad to see that negative people were behind the planet.
After you see this impact, do you consider changing the perspective?
Ofcourse yes. It's becoming clearer for those we've seen the earth from above, that it's our responsibility to take care of this planet.
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Do you miss anything from the earth in the universe?
Not much (laughs). The way the Shuttle Program works is that each mission has so many things that you must reach in the end that you are always busy and that you do not have much time to think about strange things on earth.
I doubt that if I have the opportunity to spend a lot of time at the space station, I would suddenly miss things like ice cream, the smell of fresh air or the smell of rain. But I never missed the Earth because I was in space missions, that when the planet passes through your window, you forget everything.
How long have you been preparing to become an astronaut?
When you choose NASA, you are not an astronaut yet, you are an astronaut candidate, and then I like to tell kids "It's up to us to go to an astronaut school," so it was about fifteen months for me. I had to learn from the space shuttle, and then I'm training for the mission missions, it's been more or less years.
The astronaut candidates selected now have to learn from the space station, which is a very complex occupation, but their initial preparation is two years, and if they successfully complete, they are designated as astronauts and certify them as such that This implies that missions can go. The training is about three years old.
How was participation in the first mission after the explosion of the Colombian shuttle?
I think that all crew members were very honored to be chosen for the mission; We had a great responsibility and we were determined to do our best in the best way, to show that there were ways to re-carry the ferry again. Because we knew that the STS 107 mission could be requested.
We also did it for our families, so we would know that we will work hard to continue the program in which their loved ones worked happily. They thought it was very important that human beings were in the universe; We wanted to go up and show that it was possible to continue with the security of people.
How do you think the role of women is currently in this kind of business, which was primarily led by men?
Well, if you look at the last category of candidates NASA chose, the class of 2013, 50% were women, class from 2017. I think that five women, then there are important representations.
We are talking about the fact that 50% of women in the last classes of astronauts, and there are women who are directors or flight controllers, the opportunities are currently basically the same.
What are they doing in free time in space?
Look through the stars through the window. We can float, we do not have an electromagnetic field on earth, so let's just imagine letting your body go into the air, it's just an incredible feeling that you'll be able to fly if you want, and we enjoy the fact that we do not have to fight gravity.
Do you feel that people have lost interest or curiosity about space?
Yes, but this is because they are far from what has been done, when people have the opportunity to come and meet experiences that allow, for example, the Kennedy Space Center, leave with a feeling of excitement or surprise. This is because when they witness their first rocket launch or hear noise, they sense their power and see how it launches into space, it's an exciting experience.
A human being is dreaming of what he does not know, what he does not see, eventually with the universe, but the astronaut with whom he dreams?
I was very privileged to have achieved my dream, and there were a lot of people who helped me on the road, this is not a dream that is easy to do just for you, starting with going to school, with good teachers who believe in you, parents, relatives, friends.
You come to my point in life and think of all those who have helped you on the road, and you in your heart feel the duty to do the same. I met many younger children who had this same dream and if I can inspire them a little, give me some confidence and say "that I can" feel that they can follow my steps. I do not think there is another dream that can be compared, although I still want to go to the moon (laughter), that's what I'm dreaming about now, walking around the moon.
Kennedi Space Center Visitor Complek
Kennedy Space Center, located in Cano Canaveral, is launching rockets and inspirations.
Place a lot of magic that makes the trip experience to Mars real. Here Lavrence inspires young people who dream about it.
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