Daily Inspiration Quote by Duane G. Carey

A sense of wonder sits alongside a working-class pride in craft. Duane G. Carey, an Air Force fighter pilot turned NASA shuttle pilot, frames the thrill of orbit not as a solo triumph but as a chance to contribute inside a tight-knit crew. The emphasis falls on the people around him: the team, the folks, the ones he is with. That plainspoken phrasing turns attention away from spectacle and toward collaboration, the true engine of successful spaceflight.

Carey flew as pilot of STS-109, the 2002 Hubble Space Telescope servicing mission. Few operations demanded more precise choreography. The commander and pilot had to rendezvous and grapple a free-flying observatory; mission specialists conducted marathon spacewalks to swap instruments and replace a power control unit; a robotic arm operator threaded delicate hardware movements; and on the ground, hundreds of engineers and flight controllers shepherded every step. Months of simulations built a lattice of trust so that in orbit, each handoff felt almost musical. Anticipating that dance, he highlights the people rather than the view.

The diction matters. Folks signals egalitarian respect for varied expertise, from EVA veterans to systems operators. Team declares interdependence in a place where no one survives alone. That I am with stresses co-presence and mutual reliance over hierarchy. It is the humility of a pilot whose job is to keep the ship steady so others can do the headline-grabbing work outside, and the confidence of someone who knows that steady is what makes the headlines possible.

By prioritizing the work and the group, Carey articulates NASA’s culture at its best: competence without bravado, meticulous preparation, and shared credit. Space may inspire awe, but the achievement is communal. The wonder is not diminished by that reality; it is deepened, because it rests on thousands of quiet, interlocking acts of judgment, skill, and trust.