Live Interview and Chat at SpaceWatch.com

Houston, Texas
March 7, 2000

When asked why people should support the space program: "The benefits - health and medical benefits, scientific and technical benefits, high tech jobs with high salaries - the return to the human race will be enormous - immeasurable spinoffs. We had 30,000 spinoffs from the Apollo program." - John Young, 3-7-00

What does your current position at JSC encompass? "I think my most important job is working on about 7 things that will be necessary for us to go back to the Moon and on to Mars." - John Young, 3-7-00

Screen captures reprinted by permission from SpaceWatch.com
Special thanks to Ron Marans and Christopher Trela

After being asked about NASA's reaction to Gemini 3 being named Molly Brown... "Gus named Gemini 3 the Molly Brown. That was politically incorrect at NASA headquarters - they didn't like that - so from then on they allowed no spacecraft in the Gemini program to be named." - John Young, 3-7-00

Where is the US technologically as far as being able to prevent catastrophes such as an asteroid hitting the Earth? "Clusters of engines, like the engines Franklin Chang-Diaz is working on, could move them out the way - that's the way to do it - blowing them up is NOT the answer!" - John Young, 3-7-00

Photo by Robert Pearlman

Would you be sad if you never got to go back to the Moon? "I'm so busy right now I don't have a chance to worry about it! I think it would be a lot of fun to go back... But if I went back I'd be taking a seat away from somebody who really needs the experience so we can put the space station together. I think that would be more important than me flying." - John Young, 3-7-00

How did you become interested in space? "I was interested in airplanes - started building them when I was six and never stopped all the way through high school." - John Young, 3-7-00

Photo by Robert Pearlman

"I think the challenge of the century is for human beings to learn to live and work on other places in the solar system. I think that's going to be a spectacular achievement for everyone. In the long run, I'm convinced it will save the human race." - John Young, 3-7-00

Photo by Robert Pearlman