[soft piano music]
- I always thought being an astronaut would be neat,
but I never thought it would be something
that was a real possibility for normal people like me.
I...
got invited to work at NASA
in the Astronaut Office, not as an astronaut.
So I would say that played a large role in me believing
that it was a real possibility, that normal people were doing the job
or people that I could relate to.
And I started to be able to envision myself doing that job.
So, that helped me out.
That was something that I think other people
probably did better envisioning themselves doing than I did.
For me that was a crucial step in the process,
it was actually being exposed to astronauts.
- [Joe] I think if you get to know most astronauts
or most of the people that work at NASA,
when you first think about that, you're like,
"Wow, these people are, you know, these very rare individuals."
But we're not. We're just regular people.
We had dreams and we worked hard to get there.
And so I think if we can share our story and our passion for science,
I think that might rub off on some of the students
and hopefully inspire them to do the same thing.
- [Victor] It's interesting. You show up in this flight suit
with that title, that job title, and people say how you're smart
and they think about success.
But I can tell you, most folks that have that title and wear this uniform
have probably failed at more things--
I have failed at more things than your average person.
But that's probably because I've attempted more things than the average person.
It's such a broad job. Your interests need to be broader
than your ability to pursue them and accomplish them.
And if you're the kind of person who seeks new things and likes challenges
then this job is going to be good for you.
- [Serena] A lot of kids come up to me and say, "Hey, what should I go into?
What will NASA like?" And so what I like to tell them is
"Man, don't pick a field that you think NASA's gonna like.
Pick a field that you love and that you're interested in."
I went into Medicine
and I'm still a physician today because it's what I love doing.
- [Michael] To master something takes one word and that is work.
And a lot of people, they think astronauts are geniuses.
And I'm here to tell you, they're not.
You don't have to be an Einstein to do our job.
But what you do need is a sense of determination and hard work.
And there is nothing that I know or that any of my colleagues know
that they didn't know only because of determination and hard, hard work.
And so, if you want to do something, don't think you're not smart enough.
Just think that you really have to work for it and you can get it.
- Do you want to be an astronaut?
What are you gonna do now to help you prepare?
Let us know down in the comments section.
And if you like this video, be sure to follow STEM in 30
on Facebook and Twitter.
And subscribe to the National Air and Space Museum's YouTube channel.
[air whoosh]
[instrumental music]