Naval Aviation Symposium

Pensacola, FL
May 8, 2003

"They told us the Saturn V rocket ran off hydrogen. The only thing we'd ever heard of that ran off hydrogen was the Hindenberg - and that didn't turn out too good!" John Young

When asked what he thought of President Bush making an aircraft carrier landing and the associated criticism that it was a waste of taxpayer dollars: "Why don't they ask how much it cost to shut down LAX for 20 minutes to get a haircut?" John Young

"There's a 1 in 455 chance that there will be a civiliation ending event in the next 100 years. You're 10 times more likely to be killed in a civilization ending event than you are in a commercial airliner crash. But NASA's gonna fix that. They're gonna make flying in commercial airliners 10 times safer. That means that you'll be 100 times more likely to be killed in a civilization ending event than in a commercial airliner crash." John Young

When asked which of the airplanes on display was his favorite to fly: "That one and that one and that one and that one and..." John Young

Alan Bean

"I never did anything in space that was more difficult than a night carrier landing. I think we sometimes get credit for more heroism than we deserve." Alan Bean

Gene Cernan

When asked what he thought of President Bush making an aircraft carrier landing: "I think it was great for the Navy and for the country. He showed that he's willing to do what he asks our young men and women to do." Gene Cernan

Ed Mitchell

"I don't remember ever feeling any fear. I was too busy trying to make sure that I wasn't the one who messed up." Ed Mitchell