Being an astronaut, there are not a lot of things that have really shocked me in my life. John M. Grunsfeld More Quotes by John M. Grunsfeld More Quotes From John M. Grunsfeld All indications are that three and a half billion years ago, Mars looked like Earth. It had lakes. It had rivers. It had river deltas. It had snow-capped peaks and puffy clouds and blue sky. Three and a half billion years ago, it was a happening place. The same time on Earth, that's when life started. So did life start on Mars? John M. Grunsfeld sky clouds time life There is no stronger case for the motivational power of real science than the discoveries that come from the Hubble Space Telescope as it unravels the mysteries of the universe. John M. Grunsfeld space power motivational science Science at NASA is all about exploring the endless frontier of the Earth and space. John M. Grunsfeld nasa space earth science Hubble isn't just a satellite; it's about humanity's quest for knowledge. John M. Grunsfeld about just humanity knowledge Our journey in going beyond our home planet is a human endeavor, and in the greatest tradition of exploration, past, present, and future spacefarers will continue to be enduring catalysts for inspiration in our quest to unravel the mysteries of the universe. John M. Grunsfeld future tradition journey home Hubble showed us the marvel and majesty of stars being born. John M. Grunsfeld us being born stars There's no question that if we stay on planet Earth and never leave, that eventually we'll be wiped out. John M. Grunsfeld stay leave never earth Hubble has really opened our eyes to what the universe is made of, its structure, and has helped us learn how little we know about the universe. John M. Grunsfeld eyes how know universe I don't particularly want to jump out of an airplane with a parachute if I don't have to. I don't want to go bungee jumping. I like adventure with a real purpose that I can buy into. John M. Grunsfeld jump airplane purpose adventure What we do at NASA is inspiring. It's reaching, it's visionary, and it inspires people on Earth to try hard things. John M. Grunsfeld try things earth people The biggest honor is to be an astronaut. It's such a tremendous privilege to be able to represent humankind in our quest to explore space. John M. Grunsfeld explore privilege space honor Going to Mars would make NASA great again. John M. Grunsfeld nasa going great mars Once in a while, the universe lets you be free alone and in peace. John M. Grunsfeld alone you universe peace I have had the privilege to be a member of many high-performance teams at NASA, both on and off the planet. John M. Grunsfeld nasa planet off privilege The team at the Space Telescope Science Institute has a demonstrated record of meeting the high-performance challenges of operating the Hubble Space Telescope and preparing for the James Webb Space Telescope. John M. Grunsfeld team space challenges science The things I like to do involve a lot of mental focus, a combination of physical and mental challenge. That is what mountain climbing is. John M. Grunsfeld challenge things mountain focus I grew up on the south side of Chicago in the 1960s, and I think there was a synchronicity of events that inspired me to be an astronaut, and, of course, the backdrop is nothing less than Mercury, Gemini, and Apollo. That was a time in our nation where we aspired to great things, and we achieved them. John M. Grunsfeld great think me time I believe that the future of humans, and the future of Earth, depends on space exploration. That's not a French problem, or a problem for Alabama: it's a planet-wide problem. International cooperation is crucial. John M. Grunsfeld future space problem believe I got lucky and got assigned to Hubble. John M. Grunsfeld assigned got hubble lucky The only reason Hubble works is because we have a space shuttle. John M. Grunsfeld only because space reason