T minus 10 interview series by space industry leader Dylan Taylor. This episode features NASA astronaut and non-profit founder Nicole Stott.

1. An interview seires
with Dylan Taylor
T-MINUS 10
NICOLE STOTT
with

2. T-MINUS 10 INTERVIEW SERIES | Dylan Taylor
Nicole Stott is an astronaut and artist who creatively combines the awe and
wonder of her spaceflight experience with her artwork to inspire everyone’s
appreciation of our role as crewmates here on Spaceship Earth.A veteran
NASAAstronaut with two spaceflights, she lived and worked in space for
104 days as a crewmember on both the International Space Station (ISS)
and the Space Shuttle. She performed one spacewalk (10th female to
do so), was the first person to fly the robotic arm to capture the free-flying
HTV cargo vehicle, she was the last crew member to fly to and from their
ISS mission on a Space Shuttle, and she was a member of the crew of the
final flight of the Space Shuttle Discovery, STS-133.A personal highlight of Nicole’s spaceflight was painting the first watercolor in
space, which is now on display at the Smithsonian Air and Space Museum.She is also a NASA Aquanaut, where in preparation for
spaceflight she was a crewmember on the longest duration saturation dive mission on the Aquarius undersea laboratory. Prior to
astronaut selection in 2000, Nicole had served for ten years as a NASA engineer and program manager at the Kennedy Space Center for
the Space Shuttle and International Space Station programs, and two years at the Johnson Space Center as a flight engineer on the
Shuttle Training Aircraft.Nicole believes that the international model of peaceful and successful cooperation we have experienced in the
extreme environments of space and sea hold the key to the same kind of peaceful and successful cooperation for all of humanity here on
Earth.Now retired from NASA, she founded the Space for Art Foundation to bring space and art together for children around the world –
helping them overcome the challenges they’re facing through the wonder and awe of space exploration, the inspiration of Spaceship
Earth, and the healing power of art.Nicole is a graduate of St. Petersburg College, Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University, and the
University of Central Florida, and she is an avid SCUBA diver and instrumented rated private pilot.
ABOUT
NICOLE STOTT

3. I grew up in Clearwater, FL. Very thankful to have parents
who shared what they loved with me and my two sisters. My
mom is a nurse and is very creative (she made all of our
clothes for us growing up.) I grew up in the 60’s and 70’s
when macrame’ and hooked rugs and pottery were popular,
so if my mom was taking a class she’d let me get involved;
and she was the one that got me to guitar lessons and ballet
classes and softball practice, and she was the one who got
me and my sisters out to the airport where my dad was
building and flying small airplanes. This is where I developed
a love of flying and an appreciation for the beautiful
perspective we receive when we separate from the planet. I
wanted to know how things fly so I studied aeronautical
engineering. And if you want to know how airplanes fly, why
wouldn’t you want to know how rocket ships fly?!
10. WHAT IS YOUR BACKGROUND, WHERE
DID YOU GROW UP?
T-MINUS 10 INTERVIEW SERIES | Dylan Taylor

4. I think there were a lot of things that had an influence on my
interest — watching the Moon landing at 6 (even then you
know it’s something extraordinary); the time at the airport
with my family and people who love to fly; and watching the
Space Shuttle program come to life. It was a long time
though before the idea of becoming an astronaut even
seemed possible to me – not because anybody told me I
couldn’t, but because I always thought astronaut is a job
that only other special people get to do – why would they
ever pick me?
9. WHEN DID YOU FIRST BECOME
INTERESTED IN SPACE?
T-MINUS 10 INTERVIEW SERIES | Dylan Taylor

5. 8. WHAT DO YOU THINK THE BIGGEST ISSUE FACING THE
INDUSTRY TODAY?
C O U P L E T H I N G S – C O M M I T M E N T – H A M P E R E D B Y N A S A A N N U A L B U D G E T C Y C L E S
A N D C H A N G I N G P R E S I D E N T I A L A D M I N I S T R A T I O N S . ( C O U L D G O O N A L O N G T I M E
A B O U T T H I S O N E F O R M A N Y R E A S O N S ) . L A C K O F R E S P E C T F O R O R V E R Y S L O W
A C K N O W L E D G E M E N T O F T H E L E S S O N S L E A R N E D F R O M E A R L I E R P R O G R A M S ( W E
S H O U L D N ’ T H A V E T O R E L E A R N L E S S O N S – T H E R E ’ S E N O U G H W E D O N ’ T K N O W T H A T
C A N K I L L U S ) .
T-MINUS 10 INTERVIEW SERIES | Dylan Taylor

6. 7. WHAT DO YOU LIKE TO DO
FOR FUN?
G A R D E N I N G , P A I N T I N G , S C U B A D I V I N G ,
F L Y I N G … . A N Y T H I N G T H A T G E T S M E
O U T S I D E T O G E T H E R W I T H M Y S O N ,
H U S B A N D , A N D D O G S .
T-MINUS 10 INTERVIEW SERIES | Dylan Taylor

7. This is always a difficult question for me, so here’s a
fewSecondhand Lions – love this movie about adventure and
family.Dracula (the one with Frank Langella) – I love the original
Bram Stoker’s Dracula and this movie is how I imagined the story
when I was a kid.Space movies — RocketMan (not the Elton John
story) and Galaxy Quest — I think these two movies, while
comedies and not based on any real space tech, are great
because they do a great job making fun of the human side of
human spaceflight.
6. WHAT IS YOUR FAVORITE MOVIE AND WHY?
T-MINUS 10 INTERVIEW SERIES | Dylan Taylor

8. ‘West With The Night’ by Beryl Markham‘Apollo:
Race to the Moon’ by Charles Murray and
Catherine Bly Cox‘Dracula’ by Bram Stoker
5. WHAT ARE SOME OF YOUR
FAVORITE BOOKS?
T-MINUS 10 INTERVIEW SERIES | Dylan Taylor

9. 4. WHAT ARE YOU READING NOW?
‘ T H E F U T U R E W E C H O O S E ’ B Y C H R I S T I A N A F I G U E R E S
A N D T O M R I V E T T - C A R N A C ‘ H E L L O E A R T H ’ B Y A L
W O R D E N ( R E - R E A D W H E N I H E A R D T H A T A L H A D
P A S S E D A W A Y — H A D A L S O R E A D I T A G A I N A C O U P L E
M O N T H S A G O A S I ’ V E B E E N C U R A T I N G A N A S T R O N A U T
A R T G A L L E R Y A T T H E C R E W Q U A R T E R S A T K E N N E D Y
S P A C E C E N T E R A N D W A S W O R K I N G W I T H A L T O
I N C L U D E O N E O F H I S P O E M S ) .
T-MINUS 10 INTERVIEW SERIES | Dylan Taylor

10. 3. WHERE DO YOU SEE THE SPACE INDUSTRY
IN TEN YEARS?
I N T E N Y E A R S , I ’ M H O P E F U L T H A T W E ’ L L B E C H A T T I N G T O G E T H E R
A B O U T T H E N E X T T E N Y E A R S F R O M I N S I D E A C O M M E R C I A L
S P A C E S T A T I O N O R B E T T E R Y E T F R O M I N S I D E A N E W S E T T L E M E N T
I N T H E M O O N .
T-MINUS 10 INTERVIEW SERIES | Dylan Taylor

11. I would tell them three
things:There so much more
about the space industry than
being an astronaut.The space
industry is ultimately all about
improving life on Earth.The
motto of my favorite boss:
“Here’s how we can, not why
we can’t” – that’s how we do
the most complex things, like
going to space.
2. WHAT WOULD YOU TELL
PEOPLE JUST STARTING OUT IN
THE SPACE INDUSTRY?
T-MINUS 10 INTERVIEW SERIES | Dylan Taylor

12. Thankful, humble, creative.
1. WHAT THREE WORDS BEST
DESCRIBE YOU?
T-MINUS 10 INTERVIEW SERIES | Dylan Taylor

13. Have someone to recommend
for an interview? Contact me!
T-MINUS 10 INTERVIEW SERIES
WITH LEADERS OF THE SPACE
INDUSTRY
www.dylantaylor.org