Brian Binnie

In 1969 I was 16, and for me anything was possible. '2001: A Space Odyssey' was in theaters. Man's future in space seemed limitless, and here on TV to punctuate it all were men walking on the moon. ”

I remember going to London with my father in 1968 to see '2001: A Space Odyssey.' I just soaked in that movie. To me, that was real; it was going to happen. ”

The notion of getting the general public into low-Earth orbit I don't think is far-fetched at all. ”

If you are not happy when you're weightless, then something's wrong. ”

I never declared I wanted to be an astronaut, as I considered that was presumptuous. ”

If somebody had told me when I was in graduate school, 'Brian, in 35 years you'll get a chance to fly the first commercial spacecraft with no computers,' I'd have said, 'I don't think so. People are not going to be that stupid.' ”

I always liked airplanes, and I decided I was going to go to school to study them. ”

Weightlessness is a wonderful experience. It feels like magic. It really does. ”

It is extremely rewarding for me to be recognised by the University of Aberdeen. This is where I grew up and nurtured my dreams. ”

Without mincing words or really embellishing anything... I consider Mike Alsbury the renaissance man. He could do it all. He was an engineer. He was a pilot. He worked well with others. He had a great sense of humor. I never heard him raise his voice or lose his cool. ”