Much to my mother's distress, ever since I was ten my dream has been to be strapped into a rocket and blasted into outer space. This spring, a unique opportunity brought my dream of one day being an astronaut for NASA into a much sharper focus. My robotics competition team, the Girls of Steel, got the incredible opportunity to talk with NASA astronaut Dr. Cady Coleman while she worked on the International Space Station (ISS) 220 miles away from earth.

      As Dr. Coleman floated in zero gravity, her curly hair forming a halo of puff around her head, she began our tour of the ISS with a sleeve full of astronaut parlor tricks: slurping globules of juice right out of the air and tumbling head over heels along a hallway. She excitedly ushered us through the space station, revealing points of interest like the Robotnaut, bathroom/workout/experiment area, and the Dextre external robotic arm, as if we were tourists in an unfamiliar city. She wrapped up our tour with a peek through the Cupola windows, giving us a jaw-dropping view of South America, Africa, and Australia passing by over the course of a few minutes, the beauty simply breathtaking.

      Unbelievably, Dr. Coleman actually topped the amusing tricks, exhilarating tour, and magnificent view by weaving meaningful life lessons into our tour as she shared stories about her own life journey.

Lesson #1: Mistakes happen to everyone.

      Admit, learn, and move on sums up Dr. Coleman's simple, three-step plan for turning a mistake into a learning opportunity. Even with her incredible amount of training, she pointed out that she still regularly gets to learn from her mistakes. Sharing one of her most famous blunders, Dr. Coleman described an incident where she joked to a friend over the public communication radio that she could see a UFO out of the side of the space shuttle – a story that blew up into an extra-terrestrial scare. She felt terrible, but knew that she couldn't wallow in this transgression and instead decided to appreciate the experience and learned to be much more cautions in what she says over public airways.

Lesson #2: Appreciate your teammates' strengths.

      Spending six months with the same three people in a cramped, enclosed box floating in outer space compelled Dr. Coleman employ some survival teamwork techniques. Instead of getting annoyed by the little habits of her coworkers during their time in space, she focused on their skills and the dedicated work they put into their missions. By appreciating her teammates, she persevered for over six challenging and amazing months on the ISS. Just imagine what we could do here on earth with the same perspective.

Lesson #3: “If I can do it, you can do it” – no dream is too big.

      Dr. Coleman shared that after listening to astronaut Sally Ride talk about her experiences, she knew she wanted to follow in her footsteps. Like us, she was inspired by a strong female conquering her impossible dreams, making Dr. Coleman even more determined to reach for the stars. With the right dedication and passion, Dr. Coleman contended that even the most unlikely dreams are within reach.

      I've always had this “dream” that one day I could become an astronaut, but I felt a bit ridiculous whenever I talked about it. Me, becoming an astronaut? But after talking with Dr. Coleman, I see more clearly that my lofty and out of this world goal is actually attainable. With a mix of drive, dedication, passion, and a bit of luck, I will one day strap myself into my seat, hear that countdown, and blast into my ultimate scientific adventure in outer space.

      If you would like to know more about the Girls of Steel, sponsored by Carnegie Mellon University's Field Robotics Center, email the team at girlsofsteelrobotics@gmail.com or visit the team website at girlsofsteelrobotics.blogspot.com. Find out more about the FIRST (For Inspiration and Recognition of Science and Technology) robotics program at usfirst.org.